 |
Public Broadcasting PolicyBase | |
|
A
service of Current Newspaper and
the National Public
Broadcasting Archives |
Major system revenue sources, fiscal year 1997
|
Tax-based
sources |
Private sources 55% |
In fiscal 1997, the public TV and radio systems
together brought in revenues of $1.9 billion—75 percent for TV and 25 percent
for radio—by CPB’s tally. In addition, CPB said stations earned some $133
million in entrepreneurial revenues not counted in figures on this page, putting
total system revenues above $2 billion. (This compares with $34 billion for
commercial TV, $13 billion for commercial radio in 1997 and $33 billion for
cable TV in 1998.) Figures in the chart are for fiscal year 1997, which ran
from October 1996 through September 1997.
| Local
government 3% $66 million School boards, cities and counties operate 4 percent of stations and contribute other aid. |
Membership 24% $472 million In fiscal 1997, public TV had 4.6 million members and public radio, 2.1 million. Average contributions were $71 per person in TV, $66 in radio. The field’s largest revenue source nearly doubled in a decade. |
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| Public
colleges 9% $178 million State and local colleges and universities, where educational radio began, still operate about 40 percent of stations, especially in radio. Their aid is largely in-kind support instead of cash. |
 |
Business 14% $277 million Underwriting from both small business and major corporations peaked at $301 million in fiscal 1994 and has slipped since then. |
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| State
governments 16% $299 million States operate 35 percent of public TV stations and 9 percent of radio stations, and assist independent stations in many states. Per-person aid in 1997 varies enormously from more than $10 per person in South Carolina and Alaska to about 30 cents per person in Texas and Colorado. In total dollars, South Carolina’s comprehensive system has the top support at $39 million. |
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| Federal
government 17% $322 million This is mostly CPB’s appropriation: $260 million in fiscal 1997. The rest comes from the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, the arts and humanities endowments and other grants and contracts. |
Foundations 6% $111 million Their grants have grown five-fold in 15 years and remain an important source for programming. |
Other 11% $206 million This includes $35 million from private colleges, $21 million from station auctions and all other sources. Not counted is entrepreneurial revenue (see text at top of page). |
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Sources: CPB, National Cable Television Association and other industry sources, compiled by Current for A History of Public Broadcasting, 2000
Public Broadcasting PolicyBase
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Web page created Jan. 26, 2000
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