Alabama Public Television board postpones meeting for controversial survey funding

A governing board of Alabama Public Television Thursday postponed an upcoming meeting to vote on controversial funding for a survey. 

The cancellation of the meeting of the Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority was first reported by Alabama Daily News. The AETFA Board of Directors listed the meeting as postponed on its website on Friday morning but did not include a reason. Efforts to reach AETFA Chair Ferris Stephens were not immediately successful Friday.

The board previously approved using Republican-aligned McLaughlin & Associates, a national survey research and strategic services company, for the survey, but not the amount. The money would come out of APT’s rainy day fund. 

Tuesday’s Montgomery meeting was meant to determine an amount, according to the agenda. A public comment period had been scheduled after the vote.

Using the company and the rainy day fund drew criticism from members of the board and the public at a July meeting. 

The survey was approved by the commission in April to gauge how Alabamians felt about the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) programming. 

Last year, the commission discussed disaffiliating from PBS after funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was cut by the Trump administration. The move sparked backlash from APT viewers. Gov. Kay Ivey sent the commission a letter saying the commission should conduct a survey if they chose to disaffiliate from PBS. 

The AETFA will have a regular meeting on Sept. 29 in Huntsville.