Since our founding in 1954, Nine PBS has been community-focused and community-funded. We have an annual budget composed of 86% funding from the St. Louis region, 13% from federal support, and 1% from the state.
Each year, the majority of our government funding comes from the Federal Government through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). A private corporation, CPB was created by Congress through the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. CPB is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting and the largest single source of funding for public radio and television nationwide.
Why do we need federal support?
Federal funding for public media serves more than 1,500 locally owned public television and radio stations across the country. This amounts to an investment of only about $1.60 per person, per year, but it makes possible an incredible wealth of services.
Especially in rural communities, this funding can make up a large portion of a station’s budget. Without this investment, public media stations of all sizes would be forced to cut some or all of their important programming and services. All stations would be impacted, but for some stations, losing federal funding would be a devastating financial blow.
Learn more about Public Media funding and how the money is used in the video below.
