By: Diane Benjamin
UPDATE to this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/23/redistributing-your-wealth/
Since WGLT is National Public Radio, your federal tax dollars already fund them. They aren’t allowed to sell advertising, all they can do is “underwritten by” non-specific ads.
That doesn’t keep your local tax dollars from ending up in their pocket though. I received this information under the Freedom of Information Act:
All of the above get your money to operate. Heartland just raised your property taxes BIG. Downtown Bloomington Association was supposed to be self-sufficient years ago but Bloomington continues to give them money every month.
By the way, I had an interview scheduled with WGLT when I broke the Coliseum story. THEY cancelled it. Truth isn’t easy to swallow for some.
Let call this karma.
I’m confused. Is the station owned by NPR and the employees are they employed by the University? Also, isn’t it a violation of the Stete Employee Conflict of Interest statute for the General Manager of the Station ( a state employee paid out of the General Revenue Fund) to also serve on the Town Council of the Town that has jurisdiction over where he works?
I don’t know how ISU ended up with an NPR station. ISU answers the FOIA requests though. Since fine points of the law are way above prosecutors – it’s up to votes to throw out the ones with an obvious conflict of interest.
Kevin, you are not confused. You have common sense. There is a problem. ISU would like you to believe you are confused. There is a term for this, it is called “gaslighting”, it is a form of abuse in which another person or entity causes an individual to question their sense of reality. The station is government owned. It is funded primarily by tax dollars. Diane posted an article earlier with salaries. General Revenue is tax dollars. The problem is press by the Government for the Government.
It’s an NPR affiliated station, like WEEK is an NBC station. Many colleges/universities throughout the country have NPR radio stations, it’s quite common. The employees at WGLT are ISU employees.
It sure does seem like a conflict of interest to me… Just like King Koos owning a bike shop, being mayor, and massively pushing for bike lanes.
Thanks for the response ISU Truth. Having had read through the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Statute, it would appear that the General Manager and possibly the Asst Gen Manager who sits on the County Board may be in violation of State Ethics Requirements along with ISU. Perhaps ECW might take this on? We need to stop leftist media tyranny in BloNo that has direct ties and cozy relationships with our local government officials.The liberal bias of this station, funded by tax dollars, is appalling.
Send me where you think the violations are!
The first step is to STOP using the term Blono 🙂
So tax payer funded organizations give money to WGLT? Which means the tax payers are writing checks to WGLT? I don’t listen to WGLT – I don’t want to support it – why am I writing a checks to support them?
Gamma Phi Circus is self-supporting from the ticket sales from its performances, summer camps, and other activities.
I USED to like N.P.R. when I traveled and locally, but in the last decade or so they have gotten WAY too far left, and now that Trump beat the lefts best(?). They all seem to want to have a drum to beat. Want to help create jobs. Buy stock in a drum factory!
And YES, I don’t see WHY we should have our tax money go to a bunch of left leaning bleeding heart, drum beating liberals that want us to feel sorry for EVERYTHING from gay baby white furry seals to koalas with irritating dried up eucalyptus toe jam!