(a) There is created the Tennessee public television council.

(b) The membership of the council shall consist of the general manager of each of the eligible stations in this state as defined in this part. If a general manager has an impairment that prevents the general manager's attendance in work on the council, then the general manager may appoint a designee to attend as the general manager's representative.

(c) Any station failing to participate actively in the work of the council or attempting to subvert its joint corporate activity may be expelled from the council by majority vote of its members and may not participate in deliberations concerning the funding formula to be proposed by the council in the next year, as provided in this part. The exclusion shall be for a period of one (1) year, but may be renewed in the event the station fails to evidence cooperative and supportive activity. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this part, no station that has failed to participate in deliberations concerning the proposed funding formula, by virtue of expulsion, shall have any right to a grant unless a grant to the station is specifically included in the proposal of the council when the proposal is made to the general assembly. It is the intention of the general assembly to provide incentives to individual stations to support the joint corporate activity of the council and to discourage self-serving, noncooperative activity by individual stations.

(d) Beginning on July 1, 1987, the council shall have responsibility for:

(1) Coordinating and facilitating cooperation between Tennessee public television stations;

(2) Acting as liaison between the stations and the legislative and executive branches of government; and

(3) Submitting annual reports of service provided and requests for appropriations to the governor, the chair of the government operations committee of the senate, the chair of the government operations committee of the house of representatives, and other appropriate committees of the general assembly.