Alabama Public Television to keep contract with PBS

Alabama Public Television voted Tuesday to keep its current contract with PBS.

Last month, some members of the Alabama Public Television (APT) Board of Commissioners advanced the idea to sever ties with PBS because of President Donald Trump’s opposition to public broadcasting and efforts to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The issue was placed on the Nov. 18 APT agenda.

In response to the proposal, Gov. Kay Ivey wrote a letter to the Commission asking them to put the brakes on separation to further evaluate options. 

At Tuesday’s Commission meeting, PBS proponents filled the meeting space necessitating an extra overflow room to accommodate the crowd. There were also people advocating for PBS outside the building where the meeting was held.

In an unprecedented move by the commission, Commissioner Pete Conroy moved for an open listening session to receive public comments from the audience. 

“We are so grateful to the commission and to the governor and to all of the supporters of APT who made their voices heard about how important the PBS relationship is. Members and supporters of APT look forward to continuing the dialog in hope of maintaining this important relationship with PBS for decades to come.”

Michael Sznajderman, longtime APT member

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