Looks like Maine pubcasters won’t be zeroed out of state budget after all

Maine Public Broadcasting Network got very good news late Thursday (June 9) when the state legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted unanimously to provide the pubcasters with $1.95 million for fiscal 2012, which Gov. Paul LePage (R) proposed eliminating. The committee also recommended a slightly reduced total, $1.75 million, for FY13. “It has been truly gratifying to see the support from so many of you who believe in MPBN’s contribution to the very fabric of all of Maine,” said Jim Dowe, network president, in a letter to supporters on MPBN’s website. “Your many and diverse voices were heard loud and clear in Augusta! Thank you!” The biennial budget goes on to the full legislature and governor for final approval.