[A] weekly interview show hosted by a spokesperson for Vermont’s largest electric utility will not be a conflict of interest, the CEO of Vermont PBS said Monday.
Green Mountain Power Media Director Kristin Carlson began hosting the Friday evening profile show on Vermont PBS last week.
“Connect … With Kristin Carlson” aims to share stories of cultural interest to the state, Vermont PBS chief Holly Groschner said, and while the 30-minute program may touch on public issues, it will skirt political and energy industry issues.
“There’s no potential for conflict, because it’s being managed,” Groschner said.
Carlson said much the same in an appearance on WDEV’s “The Mark Johnson Show” last week. Carlson acknowledged the potential for a conflict of interest, but encouraged anyone with lingering doubts to watch the show. Johnson and some callers were critical of Carlson’s role on a “news” show.
“I appreciate the concern and the passion that’s behind the concern,” Carlson said, but she said her track record of acting ethically as an interviewer and journalist during 14 years as a reporter and anchor for WCAX speaks for itself.
The inaugural episode featured Mary Brown Guillory, a Burlington resident who started the state’s first NAACP chapter. That and a forthcoming episode featuring former Vermont Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Amestoy will be typical of the guests Carlson hopes to feature on her show, she told Johnson.
“We’re really seeking out just interesting Vermonters who can share their story about how they shaped Vermont and how Vermont has shaped them,” Carlson said.
Concerns raised by political blogger John Walters on The Vermont Political Observer that Green Mountain Power is somehow involved in financing the program are unfounded, Carlson said on the radio. Groschner confirmed that no entity is specifically underwriting the program.
Reduced state funding has made it more difficult for the public television station, but that hasn’t stopped Vermont PBS from producing local content that viewers expect and enjoy, Groschner said.
“Connect” is being produced on a “shoestring” budget and Carlson is being paid a “de minimis” amount for hosting the program, Groschner said.
“It’s a shame that people are making an issue out of this,” she added.
