Why should taxpayers be footing the bill to the tune of $445 million in recent years, for a liberal media voice?

It's an argument that's been made in conservative and some independent circles for years.

Now, in an effort to perhaps curry favor with the White House and give its audience a little more balanced coverage, PBS says they are launching a "conservative" program April 13th.

Columnist Michael Gerson and commentator Amy Holmes will co-anchor the program called "In Principle." PBS will decide after an eight-week run whether to continue.

EFFORTS TO REMOVE PBS SUBSIDIES

In 1995, Republicans vowed to eliminate PBS subsidies, but the effort fizzled.

In 2005, Republicans tried to again cut subsidies by $100 million. That ignited an outcry from fans of "Sesame Street" and other defenders of public broadcasting.

That bid failed, as did the most recent effort in 2011.

The latest "threat" from the Trump administration appears to have served as an opportunity for PBS to offer viewers a conservative platform, and perhaps, eliminate the funding rhetoric.

"IN PRINCIPLE"

The show is set to originate from PBS’ WETA-TV studio outside of Washington with Dalton Delan being the programs executive producer.

In a recent interview with co-anchor Amy Holmer she said, “We need a place where we can have thoughtful, reasonable, in-depth conversations about politics, policy, culture — you name it — where we’re really talking to each other instead of shouting at each other,” Holmes said. She said she wanted viewers to feel like they spent their time wisely and learned something in the process.