A glimmer of sunshine

We’re delighted with Senator Dave Knudson’s leadership in getting a new open records law through the South Dakota Senate. The Republican leader from Sioux Falls introduced SB-147 in late January, and it has cleared the Senate – unanimously – and now awaits action in the House.

The legislation is important because it introduces a fresh new perspective regarding public records: unless there’s good reason to keep them closed, all public records are open for public scrutiny!

That would be a big change for South Dakota, which has one of the most restrictive laws in the country. Admittedly, SB-147 has a long list of records that would remain closed, and some of those provisions are vague enough that officials can still probably keep a lid on some information that should be made public, but we still support the bill because of its presumption of all records being open.

How the House and Governor Rounds will handle SB-147 is uncertain. Its bipartisan group of co-sponsors, ranging from Senators Adelstein and Heidepriem to Representatives Hunhoff and Faehn, bode well for the measure.

Rounds has been a staunch opponent of previous open records initiatives, and he managed to exert enough influence to get an open records bill killed last year. Early this session, reporter Bob Mercer quoted the Governor as saying that changing the law could inadvertently disclose personal information about private citizens that “a bureaucrat” had gathered.

Personal privacy is a valid concern, and Knudson and his co-authors have done a good job in SB-147 of protecting privacy; witness the laundry list of items that would remain closed.

Perhaps the Governor should be just as concerned about bad and potentially embarrassing government activities that public documents could reveal – but that are kept under wraps by “a bureaucrat” who wants to protect himself or his bosses.

Can you say “no-bid contracts”?

Another chance for satellite radio?

Liberty Media, which is based in the Denver suburb of Englewood, has struck a deal to keep Sirius XM satellite radio afloat. Sirius XM stock has tanked and the company has been on the verge of bankruptcy. John Malone’s Liberty Media has agreed to prop up the ailing satellite radio company with a $530 million loan in exchange for 40 percent of the company and seats on the Sirius XM Board.

While we’ve opined often on the inherent value of good local radio service, we’ve always enjoyed and appreciated eavesdropping on other radio services such as the BBC, Voice of America, C-SPAN Radio, and others. As a fan of Big Band music, tunes from the early ‘50s, Bluegrass, and others, we found XM satellite radio a good source for targeted musical formats and a wide array of pretty good news and information programming.

But since we first subscribed to XM in 2004, their rates have increased and their service has remained stagnant. And while opposed to the Sirius-XM merger, their talk about "a la carte" choices caused me to wax hopeful. After all, they were touting something that many cable TV and satellite radio listeners have desired for years. The idea of paying ONLY for the channels you want is a delicious concept! And Sirius boss Mel Karmazin only whetted our appetites just prior to the merger by issuing the following statement:

XM and SIRIUS to Offer A La Carte Programming
Companies' FCC Filing to Detail Array of New Offerings Priced From $6.99 to $16.99 SIRIUS CEO Mel Karmazin to Discuss at National Press Club Address Today

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, July 23, 2007 /PRNewswire--

~

SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) and XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR) announced today that the merged company will offer American consumers for the first time the opportunity to choose programming on an a la carte basis. This unprecedented offering will provide subscribers with more choices and lower prices and pave the way for a unique form of competition in the entertainment industry -- one based on the individual programming preferences of listeners.

Alas, we’ve seen and heard only a blending of XM and Sirius program services in their new combined Sirius XM operation. It’s only the “pay channels” that offer choices, and I’m not about to fork over greenbacks for the likes of Howard Stern.

We're certain that John Malone has much more in mind than just offering a la carte radio programs and thus making good on a Sirius XM commitment. He and his new colleagues are likely exploring ways to capitalize upon new and more profitable wireless services.

BUT….it would be good if he could hold the collective feet of Sirius XM owners to the fire and make them deliver on promises that flowed ever-so-easily when they were trying persuade the FCC and the public of the virtues of a single satellite radio service.

Technology makes such a la carte services readily available. Only the will to do the right thing remains in doubt.

We hope John Malone and Sirius XM will do the right thing.

More "customer service" from Cable TV

The same cable television folks whose installers and repairmen usually showed up late – if at all – for service calls are looking at ways to expand their reach into online video content.

They’re working with TV networks to try to find a profitable way of putting cable TV programs online – but available only to people who have cable subscriptions. Details are still a little fuzzy, but it appears they want to score a knockout against hulu.com and other budding services that offer content for free.

And the Wall Street Journal quotes Comcast CEO Brian Roberts as saying that cable subscribers could access content online – content that transcends programming that’s now available for free.

Advertising apparently would still be a critical part of the formula, but I suspect the cable folks have a plan that would hike cable rates for subscribers who would like access to this “free” online video. News reports indicate this new "service" could be rolled out later this year.

The business model for this new scheme isn’t abundantly clear at this point, and it may become even fuzzier by the time it’s rolled out. I suspect access will come “free” at first, followed by incremental hikes for subscribers whether or not they have internet access.

Remember the days of free, over-the-air broadcasting?

Remembering Whitmore....and Truman!

Actor James Whitmore died Friday (2/6/09) at his Malibu, California home. He was 87.

We’ve written about Whitmore a couple of times over the past two years – admiring his unbridled enthusiasm and his seemingly boundless talents on stage and in television and film. I’ll never forget seeing his wonderful performance at the Oklahoma State University Seretean Center in the 1970s. I described that event in this 2007 posting.

As I started poring through the wealth of materials now available on-line about Whitmore, I came across one video in particular that caught my attention. It was not just Whitmore, but his 1975 characterization of President Harry S. Truman that caught my attention.

It allowed me to remember the plain-spoken style of “Give ‘em Hell Harry.” And while I anticipated a pleasant trip down memory lane as I watched the video – enjoying the dramatic skills of James Whitmore and appreciating the outspoken style of President Truman – I wasn’t prepared for the relevancy of his message.

Although uttered more than a half century ago during the 1946 rail strike, the words attributed to Truman about the economy and the role of so-called “expert” economists still ring true. It’s enough to cause a bit of a chuckle……quickly followed by the realization that Harry probably had it right.

Take a moment to admire the talent of Whitmore……and the wisdom of Truman!

Art, commerce, and community

by Lorraine Collins

Lorraine Collins is a writer who lives in Spearfish. She can be contacted at collins1@rushmore.com

Three years ago when the Matthews Opera House in Spearfish was celebrating its 100th birthday, I wrote an article commemorating that event in which I said that it’s appropriate for the South Dakota Arts Council to be in the Department of Tourism and State Development. This recognizes the importance of the arts in promoting economic development in South Dakota. So of course I was surprised when the governor said, because of the dire economic situation we face, he wants to do away with arts funding entirely in the next budget, which would eliminate the Arts Council.

Apparently he was not thinking of the arts as something that generate income and promote economic development, but of course the arts do. However, I can understand the problem he and the Legislature face. They all have to think about what programs are important for this state to preserve and encourage, and also about where expenses can possibly be cut in a time of budget shortfall.

Many state programs essential for the well being of our citizens do not generate any income, but they can’t be eliminated without causing hardship and bigger problems down the line. These include social services of various kinds, such as Medicaid, nutrition programs, the Birth to Three program and child protection services. Then there are large budget items such as law enforcement, prisons, state universities, and state support of public schools. Having so many state supported programs and institutions that are important but which do not generate income is typical of government services, of course.

So it’s lucky when you can find a program that is both important to preserve for the welfare of the people of the state and that can also make money, adding to economic development and bringing in sales tax. The people of Lawrence County who have worked to restore both Matthews Opera House and the Homestake Opera House in Lead have relied on their ability to raise money, manage debt, and produce programs that bring in revenue to help pay for everything. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised and spent locally for these operations. And thousands of people have come to town to enjoy performances. How can all this not have a beneficial economic impact?

The South Dakota Arts Council provides challenge grants for arts organizations around the state to help them continue to survive, some of the money coming from the Legislature and some from the National Endowment for the Arts. I believe about $750,000 in federal funds are earmarked for the state, but the money will be lost if we have no state agency to receive and disburse the funds. Furthermore, at present $50 million of the new stimulus package will go the NEA and of that, 40% will be passed through to the State Arts Councils. The other 49 states will share in that, as ours is the only state talking about eliminating its Arts Council.

Looking at the settlement and development of our state, we can see that when a new town was built, the first public edifice might be a school and the second a church. But the next important building was a place for people to come together to see plays and musical programs and lectures. Even before the Matthews Opera House was built in 1906, there were two other venues for performances in Spearfish, one in 1883 and another in 1885. These were built by enterprising individuals who knew something that’s still true today. A town without cultural offerings is not a town anyone wants to visit, let alone live in.

Generational Theft

When I saw the laundry list of South Dakota projects that could be funded with the latest proposed "stimulus" package, I felt that surely this scenario was being played out in states all across the country. States that have mis-managed and overspent their budgets -- most far worse than South Dakota -- will jump at this lifeline to save them from their bad practices.

I wanted to opine about it, but when I saw Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) essay in the Wall Street Journal the other day, I knew he said it better and with greater knowledge than those of us outside the beltway who are, therefore, more blissfully ignorant of the details surrounding most federal shenanigans.

Read Coburn's essay here.

When I was managing the public television station in Tulsa back in the early 1980s, Tom Coburn was in school, pursuing a new career. He'd already established himself as a successful businessman when he made a life-changing decision to pursue medicine.

Coburn's political stripes may be a different color than those of the late Mike Synar, his congressional predecessor from Oklahoma's 2nd district. But their common sense approach to tough issues has an abiding universal appeal. A Democrat, Synar seemed to have boundless energy and great integrity. For many Oklahomans -- including transplants like me -- Mike Synar was a source of inspiration and hope. Synar's career was cut far too short by a brain tumor in 1996. He was just 45 years old.

Coburn's appeal for common sense has struck a chord in many of us. Some have branded him "radical," and there's probably some truth to that. After all, while most of his Senate colleagues rush to pass a massive "stimulus" package of about one TRILLION dollars, he has been a potent voice of opposition. He's right, it really is a case of grand generational theft.