Such a private board would not be subject to open records and open meetings requirements and would not be accountable in any significant way. Our decision to establish a CAB that satisfies all the requirements of a community licensee was the result of such a deliberative process. The content of commercial television is driven by the demands of the marketplace. Public television was established to ensure that important programming that commercial television did not provide would still be available to the public. The proposal to merge control of fundraising, operations and programming under a private nonprofit corporation increases the danger that financial considerations would overwhelm artistic, cultural and quality issues.
Money is an important issue.
The solution to this problem is not relinquishing public control. The MATC board and its administration have been excellent stewards of the public trust. The debate over governance has been resolved.