The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 38

D2 Sunday, May 30, 1999 LOCAL NEWS TYm Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Week Debt gives Gl turn Search for funds in Georgia It among the vgh9stpedng state when it rennet to public tetevfeto, but tet funding for pub'ic radio lajj behind otfxtr ih Southeast and nationwide. i 7 I could produce a restructuring By Alan Judd Public radio tpondtag GorXiV. $621,247 STAFF WRITER Public television tptdtng Georji (fourth-highest In U.J.) U.S. averts $7,409,729 Southeast avemga $1 1,014.740 Per capita spending i Outside metro Atlanta last week, a conflict between federal prosecutors in Georgia and Florida left an alleged drug dealer on probation instead of in prison, but a woman who tethered her 5-year-old stepson ended up behind bars. U.S.

avaraga Southeast average As he concluded a news con ference last week to announce a management purge at the state's troubled public television and Per capita spending Goorjia. U.S. average Southeast averags $2.36 i $1.33 $1C4 Georgia (Nth-highest In U.S.) U.S. average Southeast average radio network, Gov. Roy Barnes declared, with mock seriousness, "Teletubbies are safe." 4 $33 $.35 J' If only he could say the same S.C.

about Georgia Public Broadcasting. NoMcSouttimtUMMrcMibaira Hunk GMrxta Mtutowj North Caradiw South Crab antf TarmuM Fifurw art (or IW7. orafa pubw Hhwwton aumcxrs tor South Card, which ow 1994. Sara: Corporation far Public BrodctrJn Barnes and his newly chosen leaders at the state's 23-station network must close a budget deficit approaching $7 million, pay ALA. off an unauthonzed $10 million loan and re-engineer accounting procedures so convoluted that 50 miles such simple tasks as balancing our own hands," said Maynard" Orme, president of the Oregon network, which is overseen by a 24-member board partly'" appointed by the "We're either going to succeed fail on our own wits, not because someone else is dictating something that's antithetical to what-we need to do." In Nashville, the public television station, WDCN, which has belonged to the school district for" 37 years, is converting next-month to nonprofit independent status.

In the past, station executives said, budget increases from the school board caused private donors to withhold contributions -while successful efforts to attract private money would cause the school board to cut its support. Independence, said the sta-' tion's president, Steven Bass;" "frees the station from the perception among some viewers that-it has not really progressed and doesn't do more cutting-edge pro-' gramming for fear of offending people on the school board. We'-are going to have a much sharper focus on customers, and I by that the people who are watch- ing and the people who are sup-' porting us." Despite the financial crisis at GPB, such radical changes are not likely soon in Georgia. Vickers, who will take office Wednes-; day after the governor appoints a -new GPB board, is more inter-: ested for now in dealing with such pressing problems as paying the bills and making payroll. The bestr way to do that, he said, is to get as1 much help as possible from the state treasury.

"What I want to know first is what is the financial situation today and where do we need additional funds and how much addi tional funds do we need," Vickers said. "And then once I know how; much, then I'll have to identify where we're going to get them." the checkbook are almost impossible. Their short-term solution: ask state legislators and private donors for more money. requested by the Citizen's Coalition Group, an organization that tracks the school board's actions. It was prompted by the board's failure to publicize the "Like the governor said, there are only two sources of money state funds and sponsorships," date of one of its meetings, said group member Robert Lewis Ingram.

experts, might be to reorganize GPB, removing it from state control and giving authority to a private, not-for-profit' board that could seek additional funding from foundations and other sources. It's an iacreas- ingly common approach. "The opportunity or potential to change the nature of the governing entity is ever present with public television," said Stu Kan-tor, a spokesman for the Public Broadcasting Service. "The preponderance of stations are run either by colleges or universities or by some kind of community organization, where people have come together, seen a need for a local public television station, created the station and operated it." Among the 171 entities that hold broadcast licenses for the nation's 349 public television sta- tions, 21 are state agencies like GPB, while 87 are nonprofit community groups, 55 are colleges or universities and eight are school boards or municipal governments. In some cases, community networks are run by boards chosen by public officials, such as a governor, some, such as San Francisco's, hold public elections to seat board members.

Even public broadcasters that are not state agencies usually get state money; only Delaware gives no tax dollars to public television or radio. However, states with community-based networks usually give far less to public broadcasting than states with systems like Georgia's. In Oregon, for instance, where the public television and radio stations converted from state agency to private organization in 1993, state government spending on public television amounts to 39 cents per resident, compared with Georgia's $236. But Oregon Public Broadcasting is hardly struggling. It has more private donors than any other public network and derives 53 percent of its budget from membership drives, compared with GPB's 16 percent.

State money now accounts for 10 percent of the Oregon budget, down from 35 percent a dozen years ago. "We have our own destiny in said Claude Vickers, who is resigning as state auditor to become GPB's executive director. "I think we need to look first and see how much the state is willing to afford." The board voted 3-2 to fire Deal sparks prosecutors' fight A Georgia businessman was sentenced to three years' probation as part of a controversial plea bargain in a drug conspiracy case that sparked a bitter turf war between federal prosecutors in Georgia and Florida. William S. "Buck" Pegg was promised no jail time in the 1997 deal in exchange for turning over $50 million in laundered drug profits hidden overseas and for giving up details about his family's drug operation.

Pegg's plea bargain with Macon prosecutors sparked a battle with prosecutors in Florida, who said it undercut four years of painstaking investigation of Pegg's brother, Joe, in that state. The Justice Department has summoned federal prosecutors and agents from the two states to Washington twice in the past four years to duke it out over their competing interests in the case. And the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the actions of its prosecutors. The $50 million in drug money recovered overseas is sitting in a Treasury Department escrow account in Washington with more than a dozen law enforcement agencies eye-irig" a piece of it. Soon after the deal was sighed, the deputy attorney general's office took over Buck Pegg's case and removed the Macon office from it.

Also, Wilkerson. School board Chairman Ernest Carswell said he and board members Ruby But with 50 percent of its bud Clayton and Evelyn Evans had been "very unhappy" with Wilkerson. He said the school system had unpaid bills and its get coming from tax dollars and the lottery, GPB is already more than twice as reliant onstate money as the average public broadcasting system. And that 1,769 students were not receiving sufficient supplies or equipment. funding source can unexpectedly become more generous or more stingy depending on the political whims of the lawmakers who control it.

3 Tornado-hit city Another solution, according to gets aid from state several public broadcasting The city of Vienna received state funds to repair buildings, roads and bridges damaged when a tornado touched down in April. Auditor never expected agency reins Georgia Emergency Man agement Agency Director Gary W. McConnell presented a check for $772,234.16 to the Vienna City Council. pending cases against the Pegg Lack of experience in media shows orotners in boutn norma ana in New Orleans were dismissed because Buck Pegg's immunity finances come first deal was so broad. 3 The funds will be used to repair roads, bridges, buildings and utilities as well as to remove debris and take protective measures, McConnell said.

The tornadoes that struck Dooly and Candler counties on April 15 left more than 300 people homeless near Vienna and Metter and did an estimated $10 million in damage. About 69 homes and 15 mobile homes were destroyed, and 52 businesses and homes suffered major damage.Vienna located in Middle Georgia about 50 miles south of Macon, and its residents already have received more than $600,000 in state and federal funds. Stepmom behind bars for cruelty A woman who tethered her 5-year-old stepson to a night-stand with boot laces tied around his neck has been ser-tenced to one year in prison 1 i I 'l -pi -f i i i j. I j. i after pleading guilty to cruelty fill iV I 5 i 1 By Peter Mantius STAFF WRITER State auditor Claude Vickers was vacationing in Paris earlier this month when his draft audit report oh Georgia Public Broadcasting landed on the desk of Gov.

Roy Barnes. While Vickers toured the Louvre and Versailles, Barnes studied the critical report and decided to make sweeping changes in the state agency that runs Georgia's 23 public radio and TV stations. Vickers said he didn't learn until he returned from France that he'd become the centerpiece of the governor's plan to put GPB's financial house back in order. On May 17, the two men were in New York City meeting with the financial agencies that rate the state's bonds when to children. Maria Luisa Tellez, 21, entered her plea last week.

Her husband, Hunter Army Airfield soldier Jason Tellez, also faces charges. 'An exterminator found the 5-)ar-old during a routine to the family's apartment Oct. 13. Two boot laces had been tied together, with one 1 end tied to a nightstand and the I RICH ADDICKS Staff 'J Eye on the dollar amounts: Claude Vickers, the hew head of Georgia Public Broadcasting, admits he has much to leanf about the programming ha wil) be other around the boy's neck. The bov told investieators Trucker charged in fatal accident A trucker has been charged with vehicular homicide in a weekend crash that killed a man and woman on their first date.

Louis Moorman, 52, of Winnsboro, Texas, improperly turned from the far right lane of U.S. 27 near LaFayette in front of the motorcycle the victims were riding, police said. Tellez tied him up because she Jf i an i Mid Rnval. who chairs the House budeet subcommittee that over-! i Barnes asked Vickers to consider. didn't want him taking food from the kitchen, prosecutors My primary nusswh is to straighten out the financial sees higher education, including' succeeding Werner Rogers as GPB's executive director: said.

Tellez told police she did it to keep her stepson from get ft. CUUD VJCKERS "SvH, ting into trouble while she and Robert Barnes, 28, of Tunnel her husband were at work. The couple's three children -4 the 5-year-old, a 10-year-old "I've known him to maka (criti-" retired middle school art teacher. cal reports, then just let tss t. They have a grown dattghtor.

and an infant have been taken into protective custody. GPB. "I ve worked with Claude on fiscal notes for bills. I've car-' ried his legislation. He's a very competent person and someone who's very easy to communicate" with." Vickers acknowledged he's no: broadcasting visionary.

He may not be cut out to run the agency long-terra or even supervise its privatization an option Barnes has suggested. inexperienced in fund- Vickers' final audit report on Hill and Rachel Bolton, 21, of LaFayette, were pronounced dead at a hospital. They had been introduced by mutual friends. Moorman was traveling from Atlanta to Tennessee when the accident occurred in northwest Georgia. He was charged with two counts of second-degree vehic rums 1 Judge stops school firing A judge has blocked the ular homicide and one count of Hancock County school board's improper turning, then was attempt to dismiss Superinten released on bond, police said.

dent James Wilkerson, whom "That had not occurred to me," Vickers said. "I'd seen myself retiring right here in the auditor's office. I didn't tell him 'yes' right then. I took a week." Barnes asked Rogers to resign last week, and he plans to swear in Vickers along with a new GPB board on Wednesday. In choosing Vickers, who has no broadcasting experience, the governor underscored the urgency of repairing the agency's financial condition.

"Any time you have a financial scandal, the first priority is winning back public confidence," said Virgil Moon, finance director for Cobb County. "I can't think of anybody who can do that better than Claude." Vickers, 55, grew up on a farm in South Georgia and now lives in Newnan. Over a 32-year career in state auditing and accounting posts, he has built a reputation as a plain-spoken and even-handed numbers man. By and large, he has avoided becoming a lightning rod for the bad news he sometimes has to deliver as state raising, programming aiiu uuicr important aspects of the GPB operation. However, he said he does plan to actively promote us of PeachStar, the agency's expen- sive but underused long-distance teaching program.

many credit with rescuing the system from debt and the threat of a state takeover. The Superior Court judge chips fall where they may," said Rep. Richard Royal (D-Camflla), vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. v. One 1995 audit determined that the state Revenue Department did not have the capacity to accurately distribute more than $1 bu lion in sales tax revenues to towns' and counties.

Some political insiders knew about the problem, but it was the Vickers' report that made it public. After Vickers reported that the department had resorted to guessing how much to pay each county, the state's powerful long-' time revenue commissioner, Marcus Collins, was forced into retirement. Vickers maintained a low profile when that political storm hit And just as the GPB scandal was about the erupt this month, Vickers took his first trip out rf the country with his wife, CheryL a 'GPB, released Friday, estimated the agency's deficit would grow to about $7 million by June 30. Though Rogers dismissed the possibility that, by then, GPB's negative cash flow might jeopar-' payments to vendors or its own staff, Vickers' final report reiterated that the threat is leal. "My primary mission is to straigkea out the financial situa-i tion," said Vickers, who will be succeeied as state auditor by W.

Hinton, a 25-year veteran of the Audit Department. If fixing GPB requires special appropriations from the General Assembly, Vickers is an ideal man to make the pitch. When the Legislature is in session, he regu- larly eats breakfast with a group of inCuentsal rural legislators, including RoyaL "I think Claude would bring to us more credibility than Werner," ETC A high school senior was shot and killed shortly after he left a graduation party. Bryan Hill, 20, a student at Northeast Health Science Magnet School in Macon, and some friends granted a temporary injunction that prevents school board members from enforcing any decision made at a recent meeting, including the one to fire Wilkerson. The injunction was had just left the party at Shrine The job change will be finan- i eially rewarding to Vickers.

He now earns about $92,000 a year as state auditor and was due to receive a $7,000 raise in July. But the GPB job pays $150,000 a year. And it's now likely that his state retirement will be calculated on, the GPB salary level. "Even a blind hoo finds an Temple when someone started shooting, police said. DID YOU KNOW? The job market for manicurists is booming in Georgia, with an 87 percent increase in openings projected through 2005.

acorn every now and then," Vickers said..