Davis a runner with yet another devastating piece on PBS he's the one
that
the peace the war from Sesame Street where they talk about how
they had a billionaire who's against pension plans
fund a series against pension plans
on PBS that was devastating cover that only occurs before
now he's got a story out about who owns the macneil-lehrer
newshour now less interesting right because you would think that nobody owns
a twenty mean
newshour rate you can own the NewsHour I know that use recall the macneil-lehrer
announces newshour
arm turns out that's wrong
someone goes on Sat fascinating
Liberty Media owned by conservative
billionaire here we go again john malone
he owns the news out his majority ownership
now a it's interesting because the present a PBS when
he was time other news hour before Cook said
it is or worse and bars alone apparently not the case
disorder reports here at Pender daily however since 1994 the NewsHour has been
producing primarily owned by the for-profit colossus Liberty Media
liberty which is run by the conservative billionaire John Malone owns a majority
stake in macneil-lehrer productions
the entity that produces the journal's the content but the show
Wow I if you ask me that a week ago I would guess wrong
okay I'm really surprised by that now he goes on to explain during liberties
ownership on newshour exactly how much money from viewers like
us and taxpayers like us went from PBS the NewsHour
and into the coffers %uh Liberty mmm that's a bit of a devastating question
as well
and I might have an exact answer so first to understand the Liberty media's
owners since then
but now they are now saying in a parlor reason the story broke that they're
going to give it back to W e.t.a
which is all the affiliates serve PBSO are very large one about
obviously right so that's what may people to wait a minute we mean give it
back to PBS
right it turns out the the news hours takes about twenty eight million dollars
a year to run
and so it's a very good question word is at $28 million come from
and where does it go right and then a shorter one on has
and how much control did Liberty have over news hours journalistic output now
when I first read that question the beginning article I thought come on
there
now Liberty media's not gonna in force within the NewsHour right
hold this an interesting evidence there than here
well first on other question ok
by how much money goes in the the macneil-lehrer productions spokesperson
said
PBS funding represents roughly half the PBS Newshour
revenue budget is so that means fourteen million dollars goes in from
that bucket that has your donations
and taxpayer funds goes into the NewsHour now that forty million that
goes in every year
how much is liberty media to get in profits it's a poor profit
company they won't answer that well
okay down spokesperson continues liberty media takes no profit from the ongoing
operational the PBS Newshour program
okay so then the shorter logically awsome okay can you show us that
is there any documentation is shows that there's no profit nope
can show you that now because other previous can they said there would be
for more transparent great is a great opportunity for you to be transparent
either shows the books in any way that you can chose the contracts and then
that they're not going to make money
turns out they can't worthy refused to
do that right now if you think well just take their word for their PBS they're
not gonna lie right
Holt I'm now back in 1994 when they were doing this transaction
variety had a source familiar with the negotiations that said
john malone may want the good will despise him but he's
also in this to make money now
USA hey that's just a source familiar with the negotiations but it's anonymous
now understand that sis Liberty media's for-profit their produce share
responsibility to it to make money
and to turn a profit you get to sit on a property like that for twenty years and
never make any profit not have your shareholders ask about it there's gotta
be some purposes at marketing
is a branding is a dollars what is it
but if you say it well maybe they put aside their pretty sure if you to share
responsibility maybe that was an anonymous poor
well then here john malone himself this when he said back that
nobody wants to go out and invest hundreds of millions that of dollars
a risk capital for the public interest
what would be fired as an executive a profit-making company
if he took that stance
more apps so how much profit
did John Malone's Liberty Media make of newshour
for decades how much of that was the donations you gave them
how much you that was taxpayer dollars I don't know the answers to those
questions but they're damn good questions
and PBS better come up with some answers and not to some Mushtaq
alright now did this affect the programming at all now we
generally just call John Boehner conservative but there's reason that we
say that
over the about twenty years have this ownership they've had
the NewsHour majority stake minority stake is macneil-lehrer
um well john malone is even about two hundred thousand dollars
in put contributions almost all but two republicans
the people that work in liberty media including several top executives have
given in that same time period
two million dollars almost all the republicans
so did that come out on-air I mean macneil-lehrer productions is no way
no way man we had editorial control over this and and it's possible
and another thing this your asses if that's true and it's in the contract can
we see that part a contract that's a very good question
and maybe there is a case that's why you gotta show it otherwise you can take
your word for
especially given this evidence back in 2006 fairness and accuracy in reporting
denounced as a PBS republicans
outnumber Democrats as guests on the news hour by
to 21 now that's a substantial margin
I even say hey maybe it's because they thought well I'm ready to use as a being
liberal so let's just
overcompensate for that and bring 21 republicans on
first Walton that's no excuse could just because
you are responding to rush number Fox News yes you all your guests
in favor Republicans by two to one margin that's outrageous raid
saleable it might not be that complicated might be that
the majority ownership newshour is republican that's why I have more
appalling is a
well okay to be fair they have a lot of public interest groups I mean this is
PBS you would think
anybody's gonna have public interest groups looking out for the consumer
the citizens would be PBS same 2006 report
public interest groups accounted for just 4 percent
ok total sources that's pathetic by the way
so let me go as corporations let go of the democratic party the republican
party
this tablet a.m. but people looking out for consumers there Antonio
right and just in case you thought it was just 2006
fairness and accuracy in reporting did another study in 2010
Republicans outnumber Democrats among newshour guess
by a three to two ratio in 2010
so that problem persisted for quite some time
PBS's a lot explaining to do this is not look good
and if they're worried that this gonna hurt their donations and they're worried
about
Davis rotors reporting well the word about the truth
so if there's good answers for this were looking for more right now
otherwise this looks really really bad