Wednesday, June 28, 2023
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Background of the proposed cuts
The Role of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is distinct from Minnesota Public Radio, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcast Service. CPB is not a broadcaster, but a private corporation created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: To serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund programming, stations and technology. Historically, it has also acted as public broadcasting's primary supporter during Congressional appropriations hearings.
As a funding source for Public Radio, the CPB currently contributes about $85 million to public radio stations nationwide. That translates into about 11 percent of the overall support of stations and approximately 10 percent of Minnesota Public Radio's annual operating budget. Radio stations decide how to use these CPB funds to advance programming and services, with the principal limit being that one-fourth of the CPB dollars must be used to acquire or produce national programs of the stations' choosing.
The amount we receive from CPB is principally a match of the support provided to Minnesota Public Radio by our community. The more generous our listeners, supporting businesses, and others are with their contributions, the more we receive from CPB. Unlike many grants that are competitive and uncertain, CPB's grants are awarded to all eligible public stations on an annual basis. Over the years, and despite some ups and downs, CPB has been a relatively reliable part of our funding mix.
CPB also has a $6.5 million program fund that makes a couple dozen grants to program producers on a competitive basis. While the fund is relatively small in relationship to all the dollars in public radio (less than 1 percent), it has been important in the start-up of new programs and as support for small production groups with limited resources. CPB's board of directors sets the priorities for these grants, which are then made in consultation with professionals from the field.
American Public Media, the national program production and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio, is public radio's second largest program producer (only National Public Radio produces more programming). We also receive occasional grants from CPB to support selected national programs that we produce and distribute. American Public Media has received support from CPB for a number of our national programs including, most recently, Weekend America, Speaking of Faith and American RadioWorks. American Public Media programming is broadcast on more than 730 public radio stations across the country.
All of the funds that CPB provides to public radio, both the station grants and the program grants, come through annual appropriations from the Federal government. Congress provides a number of directives to CPB about the use of these funds, including the balance between station grants and the program fund, the need for attention to rural and minority services and independent producers, the need for objectivity and balance in programs funded directly by CPB that address controversial issues, and the importance of protecting public broadcasters from political intrusion.
Congress also requires that stations receiving annual grants take a number of steps to be accountable to the public, such as holding open meetings, conducting an annual audit, and making certain financial records available.
All of these policies have evolved over more than 35 years of federal support for public radio. They reflect a careful effort to balance the independence and integrity of public radio with a needed accountability for public funds. Public radio's major national programs are generally supported by a diversity of sources, as are most public radio stations, helping to insulate both from undue influence from any single source. At the same time, citizens and their elected representatives have carefully structured opportunities to voice their interests and concerns about their public stations and the use of the public's funds.
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