The problems at Alabama Public Television (APT) appear to be continuing. The chaos caused by the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC) by firing longtime executive director, Al Pizzato, and his deputy has resulted in protests, low morale, and resignations from APT and its fundraising organization.
The COO of APT Charles Grantham advised the interim executive director and staff at APT that he would resign as of August 31. As the consummate professional Grantham wanted to clear a few projects before departing. Grantham had been a part of APT since 1974 rising from technician to chief engineer to COO.
Following the firings Grantham delivered a letter to Gov. Robert Bentley about the firings and decreased morale at the station. In his letter Grantham said that the commission "have their own agendas, which may or may not have been in the best interest of APT.”
Grantham added he felt threatened by the commission when he was told not to speak to media.
The firings of Pizzato and Pauline Howland were the result of staff objections to airing documentaries by a conservative religious activist David Barton. The programs in question had a particular slant that did not coincide with historical fact. While the commission insisted, it also decided to change the long standing mission of APT to remove any reference to "diversity" in programming.
Pizzato has filed suit against the commission claiming that it violated open meeting laws in the state.
In an editorial the Birmingham News is requesting that Gov. Bentley and legislatures "get top the root cause" of the problems and issues at AETC and APT. “APT and its educational and informative programming are too important
to the state not to warrant an investigation into what is going on with
the commission that oversees it,” the editorial board wrote Monday.
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