BOISE -- The television station that broadcasts the Legislature and Sesame Street's Big Bird across Idaho appears likely to escape budget cuts of the magnitude Gov. Butch demanded at the start of the 2010 session.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Tuesday voted 19-0 to set Idaho Public Television's government funding at $2.413 million, down 8.3 percent from the current fiscal year.
Just 16 percent, or $269,000, is being trimmed from the state taxpayers' share, half of Otter's Jan. 11 proposal when he announced plans to phase out state taxpayer support by 2014.
Otter originally said government-backed TV had grown superfluous, but the Republican chief later said his proposed phase-out came only after public TV manager Peter Morrill didn't respond adequately to his demands for austerity in late 2009.
Morrill said Tuesday he's doing his best to meet Otter's demands.
