Don’t cut the teacher with the largest classroom in Mecklenburg County

By William L. Fuller, WTVI Chairman of the Board, and HR Planning and Performance Director, Duke Energy

It is a privilege to volunteer my time as board chair of WTVI, the only public television station with programming and outreach events developed in Charlotte to meet local community needs.

WTVI is dedicated to helping people improve their lives, providing teachers with free educational resources, engaging viewers in civil conversations about issues and serving children as the most positive and trusted use of television.

WTVI depends on financial support from viewers and local government. In 1981, Mecklenburg County contracted to provide funding for its public television station. For 30 years, funding remained in place. However, for the current fiscal year (FY11), the commissioners removed all operating funding for WTVI. Again, in the proposed budget for FY12, WTVI receives no funding. The county deems our station not an “essential community service.”

If the county continues to cut funding, we will all be the poorer, losing shows that help teach our children to read, documentaries that open new worlds, a focus on local history, non-commercialized news programs that keep us informed on world events, and free music, theater, dance and art. For many, WTVI is the only opportunity to see a Broadway show, visit a national park or have a front row seat at a popular music concert.

WTVI is the local franchise of PBS, America’s largest classroom, available to all children including those who can’t attend preschool. Almost 40% of kids 3-5 don’t attend preschool or kindergarten. Children who start school behind often stay behind. Young people who never see the inside of a pre-K classroom are more likely to be in special education classes, more likely to drop out of high school and more likely to get into crime. Because public television is accessible in every home regardless of income, no government agency, no social service and no physical classroom has WTVI’s reach.

WTVI has been recognized as one of the top five Ready to Learn (RTL) stations by the U.S. Department of Education, providing a unique educational safe haven for kids on TV and online. Ratings show that programs like Curious George, Super Why, and Sid the Science Kid are the most watched shows in the children's TV industry.

We could go on about WTVI’s focus on local history, science and citizenship, an education for children and adults alike. Did you know the ONLY reason the Freedom Riders came to Charlotte and held a community event on May 9, 2011, was because of WTVI’s nationally-known community outreach focus?

The American public has named PBS and its member stations the most trusted institution among nationally-known organizations for seven consecutive years. Local research shows 85% of Mecklenburg residents think it is important for Charlotte to have its own public station; 86% say the County should support WTVI financially.

And so we ask elected officials who represent us: “What part of ‘essential community service’ do you not understand?”