The Parasitic Network: the History of Public Television

Written By: Sam Blumenfeld  |  Posted: Friday, June 24th, 2011

            Back in 1967, during the Johnson administration, there was a well-organized campaign by the liberal establishment to saddle the American people with subsidized, "public" television. Prior to 1967, noncommercial "educational" television depended on foundation grants, viewer contributions, and government subsidies from the Health, Education and Welfare Department for its subsistence. That was before there was an Education Department. However, these sources were not enough to provide educational TV with any degree of financial stability or security. And America, being very rich, and our politicians itching to spend as much money as they could lay their hands on, decided to give the educational TV folks more financial security by making them parasites on the taxpayer.

            A plan was conceived by the Carnegie Commission on Educational Television - a group of liberal visionaries financed by a Carnegie Foundation grant - and presented to Congress in January of 1967. It stated:

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