Bruce Ramer has been elected chairman of the board
of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is the independent nonprofit
corporation created by Congress to oversee the federal government's funding for
noncommercial radio and TV.
President George W. Bush appointed Ramer to theboard in 2008.
He is an entertainment and media attorney in Los Angeles and former chair of
the board of noncom KCET Los Angeles. He is currently chair of the CPB American
Archives Task Force, a member of the board of trustees at USC, chairman of the
USC Institute on Entertainment Law and Business, and a member of the board of
councilors at the USC Annenberg School for Communication.
Elected vice chairman was David Pryor, former
Arkansas governor and congressman who joined the board in 2006.
CPB board nominations and elections have been
relatively quiet in the past couple of years after the controversy surrounding
former CPB Chairman Ken Tomlinson. But Ramer assumes his post as there is
renewed attention to noncommercial broadcasting.
The co-chairs of an Obama administration
commission on fiscal responsibility last week recommended phasing out CPB andnoncom funding as one of the tough budget calls that should be made to attack
the federal deficit.
It also comes as the GOP regains the House, where
conservative Republicans have periodically called for cutting back or zeroing
out funding for noncoms, usually arguing that the money is going to support a
liberal-leaning service.
The elections came at CPB's board meeting in New Orleans Tuesday (Nov.
16). Ramer succeeds Ernie Wison as chairman.
