Carrying signs reading \u201cSave PBS\u201d and \u201cElmo Says Don\u2019t Be Mean To Alabama Children,\u201d a crowd of more than 150 gathered inside and outside the Tuesday meeting to express support for PBS. A few people wore Cookie Monster outfits or shirts with Big Bird. Many shared stories of what PBS has meant for their families. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.<\/p>\n Diana Isom, a 28-year-old substitute teacher, said PBS programs have made a difference for her autistic son, who initially had difficulty speaking and walking but now is at kindergarten level while still in preschool. The children at the autism clinic her son attends watch PBS programs each day, she said. <\/p>\n \u201cKids benefit so much, especially autistic kids, from PBS. … We need PBS,\u201d Isom said. <\/p>\n One audience member held a sign reading, \u201cElmo is not the enemy of the people,\u201d an apparent reference to comments by a commissioner last month<\/a> that, \u201cPBS has made themselves the enemy of what I stand with.\u201d<\/p>\n The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides about $2.8 million for Alabama Public Television, although the money goes to a foundation and is not directly used to purchase PBS programming. The money is going away because of federal budget cuts. Alabama Public Television pays about $2.2 million to purchase PBS programming. <\/p>\n Alabama Public Television Executive Director Wayne Reid said it would cost an estimated $3.5 million annually to replace the programs and digital support they currently receive from PBS at the cost of $2.2 million. He said dropping PBS would also likely cause the number of memberships, which provides substantial support, to plummet.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s clear from a very strong presentation by the executive director that not continuing with PBS would essentially be the death spiral of APT as we know it,\u201d audience member Michael Sznajderman told the commission. <\/p>\n
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