South Carolina ETV Faces 52% State Appropriation Cut

Cuts Ahead

Gov. MARK SANFORD's proposed SOUTH CAROLINA budget cuts over half of the state's allocation for public television and radio. $5.2 million of the funding for SOUTH CAROLINA ETV, which operates statewide radio and TV networks, was cut from the total $9.6 million appropriation, a cut of 52%, reports WSPA-TV/SPARTANBURG.

The cuts were among SANFORD's line-item vetoes, which totaled over $414 million. "Federal and private funds are available and sufficient to enable ETV's K-12 educational programming to continue," SANFORD said in explaining the veto.

"This has been unprecedented and you never really know where the reductions are going to occur next," said ETV COMMISSION Chairman ROBERT RAINEY. "ETV has been successful raising money through the ETV endowment, but those numbers from the endowment are certainly not as significant as the numbers we get from the state. We're not going to find $5.8 million."

Legislators will consider overrides of the ETV veto and other vetoes TODAY (6/15).

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