Virginia's Public Media Funding In Governor's Hands

Delegates agreed to McDonnell's proposal to slice state funding in half, but senators did not. House Appropriations Staff Director Robert Vaughn said the resulting compromise reduced Public TV grants from $1.4 million to $486,000 -- but increased other funds:

"What the budget conferees agreed to, relative to the governor's budget amendments, is to restore funding to the education component and that was to provide $2.6 million. The original budget, when adopted last session, was $2.1 million, so that's an increase over the actual budget they would have received," Vaughn says.

Vaughn said lawmakers approved the governor's plan to preserve funds for Radio Reading Services for the print-disabled and re-direct dollars that had been earmarked for state tourism promotion.

"Public radio, then, was untouched," he says.

The governor could agree, propose changes, or exercise a line-item veto before April's Reconvened Session.

WAMU does not receive funding from the Commonwealth.