To paraphrase Dickens, you could say that it’s the best of times, and it’s the worst of times for public radio and television in the U.S.

They're enjoying record audiences, and both PBS and NPR have branched into the Internet realm with apps for smartphones, podcasts and other digital offerings.

At the same time, there are new calls to cut government funding for public media in the face of massive budget deficits.

NPR President Vivian Schiller visited public media station WMFE in Orlando last week and spoke with reporter Mark Simpson about these challenges – and the firing of Juan Williams.

We also spoke with Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times and Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute about the future of public media and the Juan Williams firing.