Tomlinson quits public broadcasting board

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Kenneth Tomlinson, the former board
chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting accused by
critics of trying to politicize public television and radio,
has resigned from the board, it said on Thursday.

Tomlinson, a Republican, quit shortly before CPB Inspector
General Kenneth Konz was to publish a report after
investigating his activities, including paying outside
researchers to check public programing for liberal bias.

Critics, including broadcasters and congressional
Democrats, accused Tomlinson of trying to advance his own
conservative agenda in public broadcasting, which is supposed
to be non-partisan.

Details of the investigation have not yet been reported. It
also looked into the selection of a former co-chair of the
Republican National Committee as CPB president, according to
Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat.

The CPB said both the board and Tomlinson believed it was
in the best interest of the CPB that he step down.

“The board does not believe that Mr. Tomlinson acted
maliciously or with any intent to harm CPB or public
broadcasting, and the board recognizes the Mr. Tomlinson
strongly disputes the findings in the soon-to-be-released
inspector general’s report,” the board said in a statement.

The board commended Tomlinson for “his legitimate efforts
to achieve balance and objectivity in public broadcasting.”

During a Senate hearing in July on CPB’s funding, Tomlinson
defended his hiring of outside lobbyists, saying they were
needed to temporarily augment his agency’s small staff.

CPB is a federally funded nonprofit corporation and the
largest single source of money for U.S. public television and
radio programing, including PBS and National Public Radio. It
is governed by a presidentially appointed board.

Center for Digital Democracy Executive Director Jeff
Chester, a critic of Tomlinson, said his departure was unlikely
to stop what he described as behind-the-scenes programing
pressure on PBS and NPR.

“Board chair Halpern and vice chair Gaines will continue
Tomlinson’s legacy to reshape public broadcasting more to the
liking of conservatives,” Chester said in a statement.

Veteran Republican Party fund-raisers Cheryl Halpern and
Gay Hart Gaines were elected in September as CPB board chairman
and vice chair, respectively.