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KUOW and Federal Funding for Public Media

KUOW has received many questions from listeners about potential cuts to public media’s federal funding and how they might impact KUOW. We want to share more information about how federal funding for public media works, as well as the current status of threats to public media funding.

What to know about federal funding and public media

  • The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 authorized federal funding for public radio and television broadcasting for instructional, educational, and cultural purposes. Today, 99% of the American public is served by public media (NPR and PBS stations), and the average cost per American for public broadcasting funding each year is $1.60.
  • The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent non-profit tasked with distributing appropriated federal funds to local stations. CPB prioritizes funding for public media organizations serving rural and remote communities. Nearly half of the 544 radio and television stations who receive CPB funding are considered rural.
  • In addition to direct support for stations’ operating costs, CPB also funds vital infrastructure for public media organizations including satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, music licensing, educational program development, and more.

What’s happening right now

  • On April 15, it was reported that the Trump administration drafted a memo to Congress outlining its intent to cut nearly all federal money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  • On March 26, NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger appeared before the House DOGE subcommittee to address accusations of political bias by Republican lawmakers. The hearing was entitled "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable," and Republican lawmakers questioned whether public broadcasting should receive federal support.
  • FCC Chair Brendan Carr has also announced an investigation into the practice of NPR and PBS stations airing sponsorships. NPR’s Maher affirmed in a statement that NPR’s programming and underwriting complies with all federal regulations.
  • While both of these actions signal increasing scrutiny of public media funding, no changes to federal funding have passed through Congress yet.

What’s at stake for KUOW

Approximately 5% of KUOW’s annual revenue comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—$1,004,089 in our latest fiscal year. We report on our revenue sources in our annual impact report.

If the federal government were to cut funding for public media, KUOW would immediately need to raise one million dollars to replace expected funds from the CPB—and continue to do so annually until funding is restored or we are forced to make sufficient spending cuts to offset the loss of funds.

Beyond our operating expenses, the loss of CPB funding would have strong ripple effects across the public media system, especially for small, rural stations whose budgets rely more heavily on federal support.

What you can do to support public media

Make a Gift

While the potential loss of CPB funding poses a very real threat, the vast majority of KUOW’s funding still comes from individual contributors. Consider becoming a KUOW member or upgrading your support.

Learn More