KUT 90.5 and KUTX 98.9 CPB Funding Overview
On May 23, 2017, the White House released its proposed 2018 budget, which calls for the elimination of support for public broadcasting by phasing out the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Keep up with the latest news, learn how CPB grants impact KUT and KUTX, and find out how to make your voice heard.
Recent Headlines:
- Trump’s 2018 budget calls for phasing out public broadcasting funds, Current, May 23, 2017
- Stanley McChrystal: Save PBS. It Makes Us Safer, The New York Times, April 5, 2017
- Public radio cuts threaten more than NPR, The York Dispatch (Pennsylvania) via the Associated Press, April 2, 2017
- Austin public stations ‘very concerned’ about proposed funding cuts, The Austin American-Statesman, March 29, 2017
- Trump’s public broadcasting cut would hit rural Americans the hardest, The Washington Post, March 25, 2017
- How Trump’s budget cuts would affect public broadcasting in Austin, Giving City Austin, March 22, 2017
- Trump's budget plan cuts funding for arts, humanities and public media, NPR, March 16, 2017,
- Loss of funding for public broadcasting would hit home hard, Dallas Morning News, March 3, 2017
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is on a White House hit list for elimination, Nieman Lab, Feb. 21, 2017
What is the CPB’s role in public broadcasting?
- The CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) is distinct from both NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, producer or content creator, but a private, non-profit corporation created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund local stations, programming and technology.
- For many stations, the CPB is the largest single source of support.
Why does public broadcasting need federal funding?
- Federal funding is essential to the funding mix that supports public broadcasting, providing critical seed money and essential operating support to local stations. KUT and KUTX leverage each $1 of federal funding to raise over $19 from local sources — a strong return on taxpayer investment.
- Federal funding provides 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 in their local communities.
- In many rural areas, public broadcasting is the only source of free local, national and international news, public affairs and cultural programming – and with such small populations these stations often rely more heavily on federal funding. Without it, they would likely be unable to continue to provide local communities with the news, information, cultural and educational programming that they currently provide, and some could even go off the air altogether.
- The CPB negotiates music licensing for all public stations and provides administrative support, allowing stations to aggregate together for cost-effective sharing of information, research and services.
What we know today here at KUT and KUTX
- Funding for the current fiscal year, FY2017, has been distributed to the CPB, which has begun distributing payments to stations, including KUT and KUTX.
- The appropriation for the CPB is set two years in advance; a system 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.
- Annual funding for the CPB has been level at $445 million for several years. That amounts to about $1.35 per citizen per year.
How much CPB funding do KUT and KUTX receive?
- This year, approximately 5 percent of KUT and KUTX’s budgeted revenue will come from the CPB -- nearly $600,000. Our entire operating budget is $10.6M with 88 percent of that support coming from local members and businesses.
- We use 100 percent of our CPB grant to help cover the production and broadcasting costs of the local and national programs you hear on KUT and KUTX each day.
What would happen if KUT and KUTX lost CPB funding?
- We believe it is important to receive funding from diverse sources, including individual listeners, local businesses, foundations and the CPB. Losing CPB funds would have a noticeable effect on our ability to serve the community with local news and music programming.
What can I do to support public radio?
- A strong, diverse base of grassroots advocates is essential to ensuring the retention of federal funding. You can learn more at Protect My Public Media, a collaboration of local public radio and television stations, national distributors, producers, viewers, listeners and others who support a strong public media in the U.S.
- Tell us how KUT and KUTX make Central Texas a better place to live. We’re collecting your stories at kut@kut.org.
KUT and KUTX Funding Sources