Timeline: 1990s

1990

Feb. 16 PBS launches PBS Home Video

July Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti appear in the first of a series of hit Three Tenors concerts on public TV.

Alvin Perlmutter proposes Voter’s Channel with aid from Markle Foundation to cover 1992 politics. PBS doesn’t take the offer, and the plan falls apart in June 1991. Document: Perlmutter's proposal.

Sept. 23-27 Ken Burns’ The Civil War breaks PBS audience records; he follows with Baseball in 1994 and Jazz in 2000, and numerous shorter projects in between.

1991

June 19 Walter Annenberg pledges $60 million over 12 years for new math/science project at CPB.

July “Tongues Untied” wins condemnation and applause.

Heritage Foundation hires Laurence Jarvik to study public broadcasting.

NPR debuts Talk of the Nation.

1992

January American Program Service is new name of EEN Interregional Program Service. In 1999, APS will become American Public Television.

March CPB hires Richard Carlson as president.

March Robert and Linda Lichter release political content analysis of PBS documentaries.

Aug. 26 President Bush signs CPB reauthorization act with Senate amendment requiring CPB to monitor “objectivity and balance” in programming [text of law].

October Congress requires DBS operators to set aside 4-7 percent of capacity for noncom educational use. (U.S. Court of Appeals upholds set-aside in August 1996. Document: court's ruling. FCC will go with 4 percent in November 1998.

1993

January NPR Board ends annual dues struggles by “locking down” stations’ dues increases to their rate of revenue growth.

Feb. 5 CPB report to Congress proposes expanded “ready to learn” preschool programming.

After the "Barneygate" complaints, PBS
restricted pledging
during children's
programs.

March PBS suffers flap over pledging during Barney & Friends.

May Bruce Christensen says he’ll leave PBS presidency; in December, PBS names Ervin Duggan as successor.

May 18 Lawrence Grossman, PBS, WNET and WGBH propose Horizons cable channel, which later fails to gain cable carriage.

July Twentieth Century Fund publishes task force report on public TV. Document: summary of recommendations.

August NPR names phone company executive Delano Lewis as president.

Sept. 16 Radio Bilingüe starts Satélite radio service for Latino public radio stations.

1994

January NPR moves into new D.C. headquarters.

July 1 APR becomes Public Radio International.

July 11 PBS launches pilot of Ready to Learn Service for preschoolers.

Oct. 31 American Indian Radio on Satellite (AIROS) network begins operations, serving stations on reservations.

November Republicans win majority in House; new Speaker Newt Gingrich soon announces plan to “zero out” CPB funding.

1994 This year public TV stations have fewer members than the year before (though total donations continued rising). The worrisome slippage continues, getting attention in 2001.

1995

January PBS Board plans to penalize stations airing 30-second underwriting spots; furor erupts; and penalties are later tabled.

March PBS and MCI announce programming and online deal; it never gets going.

July 17 CPB creates twin Future Funds for public radio and TV.

September PBS Online debuts [1998 retrospective article].

September Markle Foundation backs Lawrence Grossman study of his proposal for two nights of ad-supported weekend programming on public TV [articles & documents]. (The idea goes public in June 1997, but falters.)

November PBS announces production deal with Reader’s Digest Association; publisher backs out within two years. Duggan pledges to hold down stations’ program dues under new Station Equity Model.

PBS and APTS launch governance reviews.

1996

Jan. 2 CPB Board adds radio station audience and fundraising criteria for grant eligibility, effective October 1998.

January PRI launches limited distribution of The World.

February Rep. Jack Fields introduces trust fund bill, but it doesn’t advance. Document: Fields bill.

July PBS names Kathy Quattrone to succeed Jennifer Lawson as chief program executive.

1997

Jan. 24 Richard Carlson resigns as CPB president.

February PBS Board revises bylaws, putting more station managers on board.

April 3 FCC sets 2003 deadline for public TV stations to begin DTV simulcasting.

April Group of public TV stations pledges not to air 30-second spots; others already have them on-air.

June 30 Public broadcasting’s total revenues pass $2 billion by end of fiscal year 1997. Document: CPB statistics.

Oct. 1 CPB announces promotion of Robert Coonrod to presidency.

October NPR and PRI presidents propose merger, their boards say no.

Nov. 5 Public TV stations create National Forum of Public Television Executives at convention in Austin. Documents: Forum founding papers.

1998

March Minnesota Public Radio expands its endowment by selling mail-order subsidiary for $120 million.

April Children’s Television Workshop announces Noggin cable venture with Nickeoleon.

May 18 In Forbes v. Arkansas ETV. U.S. Supreme Court rules Arkansas state network has journalistic discretion to exclude minor candidate in on-air debate, overturning Eighth Circuit decision of August 1996. Document: ruling.

July PBS announces program development deal with Disney/ABC subsidiary Devillier Donegan Enterprises.

Nov. 9 Seven public TV stations are among first DTV broadcasters; PBS premieres “Chihuly Over Venice,” first national broadcast of a program produced and edited in HDTV.

Nov. 10-11 The seven stations air first test broadcast of "enhanced" (interactive) DTV, adapting Ken Burns’ “Frank Lloyd Wright.”

Nov. 11 Following Delano Lewis’s retirement, NPR hires Kevin Klose as president.

December Gore Commission recommends additional educational TV station in every market, backs trust fund [article & documents on Benton Foundation site]; White House, Congress and FCC take no action.

1999

Jan. 1 American Program Service renamed American Public Television.

Feb. 1 Former PBS Home Video distributor Michael Nesmith wins $47 million civil judgment against the network. (In July, PBS settles with Nesmith for an undisclosed amount.)

June NPR and PRI announce plans to provide channels to CD Radio satellite service.

NPR hired longtime
journalist Klose
to succeed Lewis.

July House leaders erupt as Washington hears about WGBH mailing list deals with Democrats. Document: new CPB rules.

Sept. 6 PBS begins transmitting PBS Kids service for DBS and DTV multicasting .

Sept. 9 Ervin Duggan resigns as PBS president.

December DirecTV commits to carry new PBS-You adult education channel.