KUNR & Our Funding
With each new Presidential administration, the question of federal funding for public media arises. Federal funds for public media, including radio and television are distributed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Today’s current public media system began nearly 50 years ago with the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 and the subsequent creation of the CPB. Public media creates and distributes content that is for, by, and about Americans of all diverse backgrounds. In addition to providing free high-quality, educational programming for children, arts, and award winning current affairs programming, public media stations provide life-saving emergency alert services.
The CPB is not NPR or PBS. It is not a broadcaster, rather a private corporation created by congress to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund programming and technology for independent, local stations.
What We Know Now
· Funding for the current fiscal year, FY2017 (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017), has been distributed to the CPB, and first payments have been made to stations, including Reno Public Radio.
· The appropriation for the CPB is decided two years in advance. This is designed to provide a buffer between funding and changes in the political climate. Therefore, funding has been secured for FY2018 and FY2019, but has not yet been distributed. Technically, these appropriations could be rescinded, but it would take an act of Congress to make that happen.
· Annual funding for the CPB has been level at $445 million for several years. That amounts to about $1.35 per American per year.
How much funding does KUNR receive from the CPB?
On average, 11%-13% of KUNR’s annual budget from the CPB.
Our largest source of funding comes from individual contributions, local business support, and foundational support. It is important to understand that we receive funding from diverse sources. Losing funding would have a noticeable effect on our ability to serve this wonderful community. These federal funds provide 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, including children and people of color.
How You Can Help
The most important thing you can do to help KUNR and public media is support us financially. We rely heavily on listener support and every dollar counts. You can also make your voice heard by visiting Protect My Public Media to learn more about protecting this valuable resource.
