The U.S. House Appropriations Committee's vote to cripple public broadcasting stations is a cynical political move that should be overturned by the full House.

Last week, the committee voted to cut $100 million from next year's Corporation for Public Broadcasting budget. The corporation distributes federal funds to local TV and radio stations such as KCTS-TV and KUOW-FM inSeattle. Such efforts are nothing new. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich all tried to chop federal money going for public broadcasting.

But this latest vote is especially concerning as perennial allegations that public broadcasting has a liberal-left bias gain more traction. Initially created to serve as a buffer between politics and stations, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — under new chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson — has become anything but. The Republican has encouraged more conservative programming and, without the knowledge of his board, hired a consultant to monitor the extent of liberal bias.

Times have changed since 1967, when Congress birthed public broadcasting. Then, the push was for an alternative to the three commercial television networks. But it was also to take "creative risks" and to serve underserved populations, including minorities and children.

Now, with the proliferation of cable TV channels, the need for diversity is not so great. Even some liberal Democrats, such as Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, are suggesting public broadcasting is not providing the cutting-edge programming it was intended to provide and looks more and more like commercial television. Take cooking shows. The Food Network has that covered 24/7.

But PBS has some unique gems. "The NewsHour" with Jim Lehrer is smart, probing reporting of major issues of the day — and we're not talking about the Michael Jackson trial. The consistent high quality of "Frontline" documentaries is second to none. On "Sesame Street," Big Bird soon will gently introduce his third generation of toddlers to the ABCs.

It might well be time for public broadcasting to do some soul-searching and return to its earlier charge of taking "creative risks." Public television and radio stations should not immediately dismiss the perennial charge their programming has a liberal bias and really explore if it does.

But that examination should not be left to decision-makers with a political agenda. In a liberal left/conservative right tug-of-war, public broadcasting could go the way of the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA has abandoned its policy of backing controversial artists and now focuses on noncontroversial projects.

Better that politicians stay out of public broadcasting, and public broadcasters return to their charge of providing a credible alternative, taking creative risks and serving underserved audiences.