AUGUSTA (AP) — Officials with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network say they plan to fight a proposal by Gov. Paul LePage to eliminate all state funding.
The Republican governor said during a visit to South Paris last week that state finding to MPBN is “ corporate welfare.”
MPBN currently gets about $1.9 million of its $11.2 million operating budget from the state.
President and CEO Mark Vogelzang tells Maine Today Media that cutting that much money would seriously diminish the network’s mission of serving the entire state. MPBN has five TV stations and seven radio stations.
Listeners and viewers say MPBN serves a crucial function. Darcy Halvorsen of South Portland says the network provides important news and information to the people of Maine, especially those who do not have cable.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less