In May 2011, the Birmingham Business Journal named Allan Pizzato, the executive director of the recession-tested Alabama Public Television, “nonprofit CEO of the year.” Since 2008, APT had seen its state funding cut in half, and the Business Journal commended Pizatto, especially, for his stewardship of the network through these hard times.
Just over a year later, he was fired.
Pizzato, APT’s executive director for 12 years, and his deputy, Pauline Howland, learned they were losing their jobs mid-afternoon on June 12, partway through their quarterly meeting with APT’s governing body, the Alabama Educational Television Commission. They were given minutes to collect their belongings and leave the building.
Ferris Stephens, an assistant attorney general who serves as AETC’s chairman told me that the commission “wanted to go with a new direction in leadership.” APT declined to be more specific about what the new direction will entail, but said APTV “might do more social media”.
Whatever the precise reasons for the firings—accounts on both sides differ, and Pizzato declined to comment for this story—they have been interpreted by the public and the press as a power struggle between APT and the more politically conservative, governor-appointed AETC, which allegedly tried to push conservative programming and scrub APT’s mission statement of its pledge for diversity, particularly in terms of “sexual orientation”. The allegations were first reported on the public media blog Current.org and in the Montgomery Advertiser.
That narrative has inspired a spate of resignations from APT’s public and private foundations and a public outcry that has registered on comment boards, editorial pages, and in 283 signatures on a change.org petition calling for the AETC to “respect the long tradition of Alabama Public Television.”
Since 1985, PBS policy has required member stations to provide “nonsectarian, nonpolitical, noncommercial educational program service.”
According to reporting by Current’s Dru Sefton, Pizzato felt those standards were in jeopardy when in April he expressed reservations about one AETC commissioner’s suggestion to air The American Heritage Series. It’s a 10-part DVD series produced by WallBuilders, a Texas-based organization, which states a clear evangelical mission on its website:
WallBuilders’ goal is to exert a direct and positive influence in government, education, and the family by (1) educating the nation concerning the Godly foundation of our country; (2) providing information to federal, state, and local officials as they develop public policies which reflect Biblical values; and (3) encouraging Christians to be involved in the civic arena.
Stephens and Rodney Herring, the commissioner who initially suggested APT look into the WallBuilders programming, insisted in interviews with CJR that the firings had nothing to do with disagreements over the WallBuilders series. Herring claims the firings are related to issues that cannot be revealed because they could harm Pizzato’s and Howland’s reputations.
Herring, who has been on the commission since last year and works as a chiropractor in Obelika, is particularly insistent that the executives’ firings are being exploited by adversaries hoping to create political drama. He points to the fact that the programming, which was the last agenda item at the AETC meeting, was never discussed—the executives were fired first—and says the WallBuilders programming was such a non-issue that he didn’t know what reporters were talking about when he started to receive questions in the wake of the Current story.
Herring also maintains that he never saw the programs. In an interview with CJR, he said he did send Pizzato information on a WallBuilers program, David Barton’s Spiritual Heritage Tour of the US Capitol. Herring says this was only a suggestion; at the same time he defends the program’s appropriateness for public television, saying the video tour highlights the historical significance of Judeo-Christian tradition in government, and does not proselytize.
Current, in a recent and comprehensive follow-up story reviewed the program and found otherwise:
While Barton’s narration during the tour takes a professorial tone, his voice becomes passionate when he discusses his opposition to the separation of church and state, and his strong conviction that America, both past and current, is a fundamentally Christian nation.
Desperately contrived bugaboos are never too yellow for Good American Journalism. Apparently.
#1 Posted by Dan A., CJR on Wed 27 Jun 2012 at 11:17 PM
Airing religious programming on state-operated public television would be unconscionable. Let's get that out of the way first. But the constant media reports that Allan Pizzato and Pauline Howland are some kind of heroes is completely laughable. (And surely the Columbia Journalism Review, more than anyone, knows that just because some guy receives some local "award" doesn't mean he has integrity or even good leadership skills. Awards are doled out all the time to undeserving individuals.). I would have thought your blog would have at least looked at the record that exists on Allan Pizzato and Pauline Howland. Their actions have actively destroyed the network for more than a decade. These two were blowing through Alabama Public Television's money long before the economy tanked. At some point, they abolished a long revered robust statewide news show. The reason? As Pizzato told the staff, he made the decision after "consulting" with the "guys" at his Kiwanis Club meeting, where he says they told him it should be cancelled. "My Kiwanis Club made me do it (?!)" Years earlier, he pandered TO conservatives, refusing to air a national show that featured a gay character. The reason here? As he told the national media, airing a show with a gay character was like telling kids there was no Santa Claus! HUH?! So now Pizzato and Howland are fired over a gospel show? These two had no sense of culture or public interest. They were BAD stewards of Alabama's public money and trust. Their firings are many years too late. Allan Pizzato and Pauline Howland are no heroes. They are buffoons.
#2 Posted by Southern Gal, CJR on Sat 30 Jun 2012 at 02:08 PM
Airing religious programming on state-operated public television would be unconscionable. Let's get that out of the way first. But the constant media reports that Allan Pizzato and Pauline Howland are some kind of heroes is completely laughable. (And surely the Columbia Journalism Review, more than anyone, knows that just because some guy receives some local "award" doesn't mean he has integrity or even good leadership skills. Awards are doled out all the time to undeserving individuals.). I would have thought your blog would have at least looked at the record that exists on Allan Pizzato and Pauline Howland. Their actions have actively destroyed the network for more than a decade. These two were blowing through Alabama Public Television's money long before the economy tanked. At some point, they abolished a long revered robust statewide news show. The reason? As Pizzato told the staff, he made the decision after "consulting" with the "guys" at his Kiwanis Club meeting, where he says they told him it should be cancelled. "My Kiwanis Club made me do it (?!)" Years earlier, he pandered TO conservatives, refusing to air a national show that featured a gay character. The reason here? As he told the national media, airing a show with a gay character was like telling kids there was no Santa Claus! HUH?! Pizzato and Howland had no sense of culture or public interest. They were BAD stewards of Alabama's public money and trust. So now they are supposedly fired exclusively over their supposed stand against a gospel show? Please, spare me. Their firings are many years too late. Allan Pizzato and Pauline Howland are no heroes. They are buffoons.
#3 Posted by Southern Gal, CJR on Sat 30 Jun 2012 at 02:17 PM
I don't know where Southern Gal's info is coming from, but nothing she said about Allan Pizzato is true. He is a fine man, and the people of Alabama should be thanking him for his service to the state.
I suspect Southern Gal is a disgruntled former employee.
#4 Posted by Captain Correction, CJR on Thu 12 Jul 2012 at 04:20 PM