Conservatives fight KCET on two fronts.

Conservatives fight KCET on two fronts

A Hollywood-based, politically conservative citizens group claiming liberal bias and secretiveness at KCET Channel 28 has completed filing documents in a months-long effort to challenge the station's license renewal, and a decision is expected soon from the Federal Communications Commission.

The Committee on Media Integrity (COMINT) is waging war on two fronts against the local public television station. One battle is being fought at the FCC over the station's license; the other could hit financially ailing KCET directly in its pocketbook, as the Committee on Media Integrity has asked stockholders of major KCET corporate sponsors to "consider and let the company know whether they want their company's money, executive personnel and prestige uncritically devoted to KCET as it is now operated."

FCC spokeswoman Audrey Spivack said last week that the case is "still pending" and may be scheduled for a hearing soon, or the FCC may decide the case based on the filings without holding a public meeting.

"It's close to a decision," she said. "We haven't heard anything."

COMINT secretary Richard Perkins, a Century City lawyer, said he learned late in 1990 that KCET's 1988 license renewal was still on hold at the FCC because of earlier complaints from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which claims the station does not offer sufficient employment opportunities for Hispanics.

The coalition's complaints, dismissed by the Mass Media Bureau of the FCC, have been appealed to the full FCC, which has yet to hear the case. Perkins said the open nature of the case set the stage for COMNIT to file its complaints, which allege KCET is not responsive to the public because its board meets in secret, keeps important information about the spending of taxpayer dollars under wraps and won't listen to complaints about liberal bias in programming.

"They are so damn arrogant and exclusive. Their attitude toward the public is, |You give us money and then shut up and go away,'" said Perkins. "We just want balance and fairness. . . . They fund a lot of good things. But in the things they (air) politically, there is a bias that is left-wing liberal, and I hate to say it, anti-American."

COMINT, formed in 1990 specifically to address the perceived bias at KCET, claims that the station staff has kept its members from presenting their concerns to the KCET board. Perkins' group claims that KCET board committees meet in secret in violation of federal law, that KCET's community advisory board is stacked with liberals, and that the station has refused to give the public basic information about who sits on various committees and about the station budget.

Station officials refused to discuss the case last week, saying their only response to COMINT's charges was contained in an earlier press release. In that statement, KCET President William Kobin called COMINT "individuals with a single agenda" who have made "preposterous" demands on the station. COMINT is attempting to "use the processes of the FCC to further their private interests, certainly not those of the general public," Kobin said.

In a recent edition of a public broadcasting newsletter, station Vice President Barbara Goen was quoted as saying that KCET closes board meetings only for "legally acceptable" reasons. Goen was on vacation last week and could not be reached.

An attorney for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was quoted in the same newsletter as saying KCET had admitted to the CPB that it had been deficient in the way it provided public notice of its committee meetings.

COMINT is asking the FCC to renew KCET's license only if the commission imposes certain conditions, including: establishment of an ombudsman committee that holds open meetings and receives suggestions from the public; a provision for time at KCET public board meetings for public comment; and availability of board and committee meeting minutes to the public.

Meanwhile, COMINT has been writing to the stockholders of Pacific Enterprises (the holding company for Southern California Gas and Thrifty Drug), Security Pacific Corp. and Atlantic Richfield Co., three of KCET's biggest corporate sponsors and companies that have executives on the KCET board, asking them to pressure the companies to reconsider their support of the station. Perkins said COMINT is preparing stockholder resolutions for the companies' 1992 shareholders meetings.

"We realize it's a long-range program," Perkins said.

If major corporate sponsors were to pull the plug now, it could have a devastating impact on KCET, since the station has already disclosed a revenue shortfall problem.

KCET last month announced that its 1990-91 revenue had come up short compared to the projected budget, although the station said it would not have final figures until September. The station's 1991-92 budget was approved at $40 million, about 5 percent less than this year's projected budget, the station announced.

"The economy has impacted on our membership income, which is our critical discretionary pool of money," Kobin said in a station statement. "During fiscal year 1991, the station experienced a shortfall in anticipated unrestricted revenues, primarily from subscriptions and contributions. This new 1992 budget reflects the realities of the current climate of recession."

Perkins said KCET's board approved the 1992 budget in a closed meeting and has refused to give COMINT a copy.

PHOTO : KCET fundraisers: Money is getting scarce