CPB's Inspector General is conducting an independent review and he will make available a full report as soon as it is completed. However, two of the four have policies that expressly prohibit the transfer, rental to, or exchange with political parties or candidates. Fundraising effectiveness, rather than partisan political purpose appears to be the primary motivation for stations renting or exchanging lists. In addition to dealings with the Democratic National Committee mentioned in the past week's media coverage, our preliminary review indicates that public television stations have rented from or exchanged lists with at least seven Republican entities in recent years, including the 1996 Dole campaign, the Viguerie Fundraising Superfile, the Conservative Republican Superfile, Country Club Republicans, Golden Aged Republicans, Republican Party Builders, and Great American Donors. It is effective.
Individual donations are the largest source of revenue for public broadcasting stations.
And its true that fierce fundraising pressures are felt by those who keep public television stations on the air. Yet, despite the truth of all that, in the end, those are expediencies. There is a more fundamental truth here. The bedrock of public broadcasting is the bond it has forged with the American people. Public broadcasting is required to operate in the public interest, and it rests on a foundation of public trust.