How federal funding for public media works - and why it’s essential

1. Public media reaches nearly 99% of the United States, including the most remote communities, with high-quality, non-commercial programming and services every day.
2. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent nonprofit that distributes federal dollars (an average of $1.60 per American annually) to local stations. That money is used to invest in programming and services according to each community’s needs.
3. In 2024, 20% of Arizona Public Radio’s annual funding came from CPB This includes both our Community Service Grant and funding for shared services, system support and interconnection.
4. CPB funding allows public media stations to pool resources towards satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, music licensing and development of educational programs, all of which would be too expensive for stations to do on their own.
5. Cuts to federal funding would negatively impact the ability for stations across a rural network like ours to serve the people who need it most. In some rural areas, public radio is the only local source of news, weather, emergency alerts, and other critical information. Learn more at Protect My Public Media.

The CPB is distinct from NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, but a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting and to help fund programming, stations and technology.

Funding for the CPB is established through the federal budget annual appropriations process two years in advance with the intention of insulating funding from political pressures. Its total appropriation is currently over $500 million. The CPB is responsible for allocating its funds from the federal budget in any way that fulfills its mission: to ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial free and free of charge.

NPR and PBS don’t receive direct support from the CPB; the funding goes directly to local stations so they can decide how best to program for their communities. CPB has had bipartisan support for the past 50 years.

In fiscal year 2024, 20% of Arizona Public Radio’s budget came from the CPB. That annual grant amount is calculated using a formula that takes into account our region’s population and how much funding we are able to raise locally from donations by individuals and support from small businesses and organizations. In addition to community service grants, CPB allows us to reduce costs on satellite connections, music rights and more. The loss of this funding has an estimated annual impact on our organization of $567,000.

CPB funding makes public media as you currently know it possible. The support enables us to provide all the best national programming and unique services for Arizona, like separate radio stations for news and music. Federal funds support our core services and lay a foundation for local initiatives that enrich and strengthen our community in a variety of areas.
 
Local news: KNAU has been a public service of Northern Arizona University for more than 40 years. It has a long history of award-winning local news. KNAU is situated in a unique area in terms of media access. We are the only fully staffed local broadcast newsroom in the region, maintaining a core staff of experienced, dedicated reporters and editors who work together to create balanced content relevant to local communities. KNAU’s coverage is focused on community service, reporting on issues related to public lands, the environment, water use, drought, business, growth, science, technology, city and county government and a host of other topics relevant to northern Arizona. Our newsroom maintains partnerships with Colorado Public Radio’s Western Water Reporting Project, KUYI Hopi Radio, Northern Arizona University, NAU’s Ecological Restoration Institute, the U.S. Forest Service, Coconino County, and the public radio stations in Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, among others. Newsroom staff participate in community events throughout the year, speaking to college classes and guest lecturing at scientific, cultural and academic institutions.

Music, Arts and Community: KNAU supports and partners with dozens of community institutions and convenes events for the community. The station sponsors community enriching lectures and special presentations and partners with countless community organizations including Lowell Observatory, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Flagstaff Family Food Center, United Way, Blackhat Humane Society, Flagstaff Cultural Partners, Flagstaff Symphony, Art in the Park, Pickin’ in the Pines, Habitat for Humanity, Hopi Foundation, Colorado Plateau Research Station, Artist’s Coalition of Flagstaff, and many others.

Impact to rural, tribal or other under-served communities: KNAU is situated in a unique geographical area that borders the Navajo Nation, the largest tribal reservation in the U.S., along with the lands of several other Indigenous nations like the Hopi, Havasupai and Hualapai. KNAU’s focus on tribal stories continues to specialize in reporting of cultural topics relevant to Indigenous peoples including elections, energy and water resources. These stories are frequently requested for use by KUYI Hopi Radio, the Arizona NPR station news collective and the Western Water Reporting Project.

Feeding Curiosity and Building Community: At KNAU our local presence provides listeners with memorable stories that feed their curiosity. This reporting crosses political and social barriers, bringing people closer to their neighbors.

 
Public Safety, Emergency Coverage and Essential Information: It is not uncommon for public media organizations to be the sole or primary source of emergency alerts and life-saving information in rural or remote areas. KNAU frequently provides such alerts, as well as wildfire coverage and public health information that is a lifeline for listeners across the state.

You can make your voice heard by visiting ProtectMyPublicMedia.org for resources to help you contact members of Congress to share your thoughts about public radio in Arizona.

• Rep. Eli Crane Contact – Eli Crane
• Rep. Paul Gosar Contact Me | Congressman Paul Gosar D.D.S
• Sen. Mark Kelly Contact Mark - Senator Mark Kelly
• Sen. Ruben Gallego Home - Senator Ruben Gallego

To continue KNAU’s mission requires your ongoing and continuous generous support. If you’re already a supporter, we say thank you. And if you’re not a current donor or can give more generously, now is an excellent time to start giving, increase your sustaining gift or become a major giver https://knau-donate.azurewebsites.net/

Proudly share your support for public radio, and encourage your friends to support us, too. If you need a sticker to make your support visible, let us know at knau@nau.edu and we’ll send you some!