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CPB Funding Overview

KUT 90.5 and KUTX 98.9 CPB Funding FAQ

What is the CPB’s role in public broadcasting?

  • The CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) is distinct from both NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, producer or content creator, but a private, non-profit corporation created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund local stations, programming and technology.
  • For many small- and medium-sized public radio and television stations, the CPB is the largest single source of support.

Why does public broadcasting need federal funding?

  • Federal funding is essential to the funding mix that supports public broadcasting, providing critical seed money and essential operating support to local stations. KUT and KUTX leverage each $1 of federal funding to raise approximately $20 from local sources — a strong return on taxpayer investment.
  • Federal funding provides essential support for public broadcasting’s mission to ensure universal access to high-quality, non-commercial programming that educates, informs, enlightens and enriches the public, with a particular focus on the needs of underserved audiences in their local communities.
  • In many rural areas, public broadcasting is the only source of free local, national and international news, public affairs and cultural programming – and with such small populations, these stations often rely more heavily on federal funding. Without it, they would likely be unable to continue to provide local communities with the news, information, cultural and educational programming that they currently provide, and some could even go off the air altogether.
  • The CPB negotiates music licensing for all public stations and provides administrative support, allowing stations to aggregate together for cost-effective sharing of information, research and services.

How is the CPB funded?

  • CPB receives federal funding from Congress two years in advance, per the Public Broadcasting Act. A system designed to provide a buffer between funding and changes in the political climate.
  • Annual funding for the CPB has been level at $445 million for several years. That amounts to about $1.35 per citizen per year.

How much CPB funding does KUT and KUTX receive?

  • For the 2021-22 fiscal year, approximately 4.97% percent of KUT and KUTX’s projected revenue will come from the CPB – $654,666. Our entire operating budget is $13.18M with 82.23 percent of that support projected to come from local members and businesses.
  • We use 100 percent of our CPB grant to help cover the production and broadcasting costs of the local and national programs you hear on KUT and KUTX each day.

What would happen if KUT and KUTX lost CPB funding?

We believe it is important to receive funding from diverse sources, including individual listeners, local businesses, foundations and the CPB. Losing CPB funds would have a noticeable effect on our ability to serve the community with local news and music programming.

What can I do to support public media?
The best way to support public media is by donating. A strong, diverse base of grassroots advocates is essential to ensuring the retention of federal funding. You can ask your Congressional representative to endorse annual federal funding for public media. Learn more at Protect My Public Media, a collaboration of local public radio and television stations, national distributors, producers, viewers, listeners and others who support a strong public media in the U.S.

KUT and KUTX Funding Sources

KUT and KUTX Funding Sources