Local woman advocates nationally for public media

Sarah Smith Warren of New Rockford began a six-year stint on the board of directors for Prairie Public Broadcasting in January 2016. Now in her third year on the board, she is on a leadership fast track that sent her to the nation's capital in late February.

A lifelong viewer and listener of Prairie Public's stations, Smith Warren is now a vocal advocate for public media. She represented the board's Executive Committee at the America's Public Television Stations Summit in Washington, D.C. February 26-28. While there she met with members of North Dakota's congressional delegation and Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson to tell the story of public media. Ultimately the message is that public television's programming makes a difference in the lives of the American people, on a local, statewide and national scale.

Smith Warren said there are three main ways public media makes an impact. First, public media educates people, particularly young children through its PBS Kids programming. "As a parent, I know that when I turn it on, I can trust it," Smith Warren declared with conviction.

Growing up on a ranch near very rural Tokio, North Dakota, "PBS was my lifeline," she said. "It had a big effect on me." She noted the lessons that she learned from shows such as Sesame Street, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego and Ghostwriter. They were lessons of kindness and the importance of listening and communicating that have stayed with her, she said.

The second way public media has an effect is in terms of public safety. Equipment owned by public broadcast stations, namely the communications towers, are all connected and act as a public warning system when needed. Amber Alerts are one example of the types of messages communicated through public media equipment.

Finally, public media acts as a civic leader, both by sharing history and producing political commentary and state-level debates. Smith Warren said she looks to National Public Radio (NPR) and the PBS NewsHour to get her news, as she knows that she can depend on them to present all sides of an issue and be as objective as possible.

The goal in telling this story is to garner congressional support for public media. Smith Warren and Prairie Public Broadcasting's President and CEO John Harris attended on behalf of the organization.

PBS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which currently receives about $445 million annually from the federal government, or $1.37 in taxes per year per American, according to TIME Magazine.

"Even more important to note is that for every single dollar that's given to public broadcasting, local stations use that money to earn $6 more from public support. More than 70 percent of the CPB's budget goes toward funding 1,500 locally-owned and publicly funded radio and television stations around the U.S.," wrote America's Public Television Stations President and CEO Patrick Butler in an op-ed he penned for The Hill. "It's also what brings us NPR. The core goal of CPB has always been to serve local communities and, according to their website, 'shield stations from political influence' as well as 'deliver federal support in a way that does not affect a station's ability to operate independently.'"

Perhaps that is what makes PBS so trustworthy. A Marketing and Research Resources survey published in February reports that public television is America's most trusted institution for the 15th year in a row, and 78 percent of Americans believe public television stations provide excellent value to their communities. Similarly, a study conducted by CARAVAN ORC International in January 2015 found that more of the American public trusts PBS "a great deal" than it does courts of law, the federal government and Congress combined! Forty-eight percent of the respondents said they trust PBS a great deal, compared to 24 percent for courts, 11 percent for the federal government and 7 percent for Congress.

Even with all that support and trust, the funding for public media is not secure. In fact, President Trump has not included funding for public media in his budget for two years in a row. Funding has been restored to previous levels by Congress, however. Smith Warren said that congressional support is strong, particularly among North Dakota's delegation. She and Harris met personally with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and Sen. John Hoeven during the summit, and both "have always been strong supporters," Smith Warren said. Fostering continued financial support from Congress is key to retaining the level of programming citizens appreciate will be an ongoing issue. Smith Warren said she learned a great deal from the summit that she believes will make her a more effective leader, and it's just in time. Now in her final year of her first term with Prairie Public, Smith Warren is the secretary of the board and serves on the executive committee. During her second three-year term, Smith Warren will assume the highest levels of leadership roles on the board, serving as vice chair, chair and immediate past chair.

Her leadership will be an honor, as it is no small feat to be given the opportunity to serve Prairie Public Broadcasting. To be selected for a seat on the board, one must be a member of the organization and be nominated by a current member. Once nominated, the candidate must submit a resumé and letter explaining why he or she wants to serve.

Smith Warren is one of only three members of the board that represents very small communities in the service area.