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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

  • The Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sent a letter to Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, asking her to testify before Congress. The letter expressed concerns about the allegedly "blatant ideological and partisan coverage" by NPR and the use of federal funds for public radio. NPR responded, stating they, “welcome the opportunity to discuss the critical role of public media in delivering impartial, fact-based news and reporting to the American public.”
  • 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