`sorry' Bank Robber Gets Nearly 7 Years

Anthony Kosloski 
Dec. 7, 1994 
Anthony W. Kosloski Of High Street, Ashley, Died Wednesday At His Daughter's 
Home In Wilkes-barre.

Friday, December 09, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 4A 





Rise of GOP threatens public TV, radio &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite rhetoric from Washington, a local public broadcasting official says
there is no reason for panicFrom staff and wire reports &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; WASHINGTON -- Their coffers have long been shielded by Democrats, but
public broadcasters could lose millions of federal dollars a year under the
new Republican-controlled Congress. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Incoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., says he wants to eliminate
federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, long the target
of conservative criticism. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As a key overseer of the corporation, Sen. Larry Pressler, R-S.D., incoming
chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, also is interested in eliminating
some funding. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But locally, one public broadcaster is optimistic, saying he doubts
Congress would eliminate the corporation, given the lawmakers' history of
solid support for public broadcasting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I would caution your readers not to overreact to a couple of statements
made by a couple of leaders," said Bill Kelly, president of WVIA, which has
television and radio studios in Pittston Township. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kelly met several weeks ago with other public broadcasting executives in
Washington. He said there was much discussion about where public broadcasting
has fallen short in seeking the support of government. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The lesson was we'd better get to the business of keeping our elected
representatives informed of what we do and why we do it," Kelly said. "It's
very legitimate for our government to question the role of public
broadcasting." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sen. Pressler said in an interview he'd like to preserve some financial
support to sustain existing children's programs and to create new ones. His
House counterpart, Rep. Thomas Bliley, R-Va., who will be chairman of the
House Commerce Committee, has not disclosed his stand on the issue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole of Kansas isn't taking a stand yet,
although he says, "We'll carefully review federal funding of public
broadcasting when it comes up for reauthorization next year." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All federal money for public broadcasting goes to the corporation, which
doles it out, using complex formulas, to public stations and groups, including
the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The corporation in 1993 contributed 14.2 percent of the industry's $1.79
billion total income, but federal money is critical to individual stations. It
makes up from 4 percent to 40 percent of a station's budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Every federal dollar generates four or five more from other sources,"
Public Broadcasting Service President Ervin Duggan has told Congress. PBS
serves as the main distributor of programs to public stations. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Without federal money, "some stations will go off the air," said
corporation President Richard Carlson. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Public broadcasters say the federal money helps them attract corporate
funding for new programs, and the elimination of the corporation would make
that more difficult. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But if cuts do come, the effect on well-known public broadcasting programs
would be mixed. For example, the "Masterpiece Theater" and "Sesame Street"
television programs and "All Things Considered" on NPR were started with
corporation funding, but no longer directly receive it. The "MacNeil-Lehrer
Newshour" on television and "Marketplace" on Public Radio International and
"Talk of the Nation" on NPR still get corporation funding. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The corporation gets all of its money from Congress. Its budget for fiscal
1995, which began in October, is $285.6 million, said spokeswoman Jeannie
Bunton. Congress has already agreed to authorize roughly $300 million in 1996.
After that, the corporation's fate could be uncertain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite Gingrich's intention to eliminate funding, the corporation is not
worried. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't think it is going to come to pass," Carlson said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There is strong support in Congress for public broadcasting. Members don't
want to hurt their local stations. Even Bob Dole loves his local station,"
Carlson said in a telephone interview Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last August, while arguing against a big budget increase for the
corporation, Dole restated his support for public broadcasting. He added,
however, that Congress should examine a number of issues, including
"objectivity and balance, ... the distribution of production dollars and the
merchandise licensing fees some public broadcasting figures rake in while
performing on taxpayer-subsidized airwaves." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some of the most frequent and emotional complaints against the industry
come from Republicans, who assert that programming on public stations is
biased toward liberals. The industry disagrees. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Created by Congress in 1967, the corporation channels federal funds to some
800 public TV and radio stations to be used at their discretion. Stations use
the money for everything from buying equipment and investing in programs to
providing educational and training courses for local communities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While many stations use corporation money for programs, Carlson added:
"Taxpayer contributions to these programs is very small -- from 10 to 30
percent." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In general, the corporation tries to wean a given program from support so
that funds may be put into new program ventures, Carlson said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the corporation's reauthorization hearing in September, incoming House
telecommunications subcommittee Chairman Jack Fields, R-Texas, raised
questions about programming fairness. Panel member Michael Oxley, R-Ohio,
complained that a "Frontline" report on the FBI was liberally biased. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pressler, who has consistently opposed corporation budget bills, agrees.
Programming, he said, "has gone way to the left. It is not balanced and it is
not fair." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/BOB ESPOSITO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Volunteers from Tenenbaum's Travel manned the phones Thursday night during
WVIA-TV's latest on-air fund-raiser. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rise Of Gop Threatens Public Tv, Radio Despite Rhetoric From Washington, A Local Public Broadcasting Official Says There Is No Reason For Panic.