Federal funding has been a frequent political issue for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The corporation has come under the threat of being defunded many times since its inception. Those calls have been renewed with the election of President Donald Trump. The CPB defends its existence by citing an inability of the commercial broadcasting market to produce content for certain demographics such as minorities and children. Public media’s opponents believe the opposite is true. This thesis critically examines the discourse of the CPB for appeals to fear that may be exuded as a result of existing in a state of frequent funding threat. A historical background is also established showing how public media in the United States exists as part of a broadcasting system that has been dominated by commercial interests, and how those commercial interests have been responsible for stifling non-profit and educational broadcasting in the country.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 356-367).