http://www.boycott-riaa.com/article/17297"There definitely has been a period of demoralization," said John Lawson, president of the Assn. of Public Television Stations. "I think the actions of Ken Tomlinson have been quite damaging. The controversy around them has hurt us in the eyes of the public and it has been a huge distraction."
Tomlinson, former editor of Reader's Digest, has maintained that he is seeking only to bring more balance to public broadcasting, thereby expanding its viewership and strengthening it in the process.
Paradoxically, the upheaval has galvanized the usually sedate world of public television and given local radio stations additional ammunition in their fundraising appeals.
Marshaled by spots on their local stations, people have flooded their local congressional offices with phone calls protesting the cuts. MoveOn.org gathered more than 1 million signatures in a week from opponents of the measure. And members of the CPB board said they had received thousands of e-mails from viewers weighing in on Tomlinson's actions.
"The positive in all of this is it has provoked a public debate about public television, which I think is a healthy thing," said Paula Kerger, chief operating officer of Thirteen/WNET in New York.
Doesn't exactly inspire confidence...