Smiley Disappointed at CPB Monitoring

On “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” today, political commentator Tavis Smiley reacted to the news that Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Ken Tomlinson hired, without the rest of the board’s knowledge, a Republican consultant to monitor public broadcasting programs, including Smiley’s. The New York Times first reported the story and said it was unclear if the consultant, Fred Mann, monitored Smiley’s PBS TV program or his former NPR radio show.
Smiley said an intern could have Googled the information for free off the show’s guest list and not wasted taxpayers’ money. Via the same method, Smiley said, the individual would have found his show to be politically balanced.
CPB’s inspector general is now looking at Tomlinson’s hiring of Mann, reports the Times.