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Public broadcasting system revenues, 1982-2003
The system's revenues passed $2 billion late in the 1990s and $2.3 billion during fiscal year 2003, the latest year for which the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has complete figures. Dollar figures below are in thousands.
The portion from private, non-tax-based sources passed 50 percent of the total in fiscal year 1986 and has hovered around 60 percent since fiscal 1999 (see "Private sources row below").
Source: CPB's annual Public Broadcasting Revenue reports.
For breakdowns between public TV and public radio and other details, see CPB's latest full report, for fiscal 2003 system revenues, in a PDF file. See also CPB appropriation history.
Dollar figures in thousands FY82
FY86
FY90
FY93
FY94
FY97
FY99 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04
(c)FY05
(c)FY06
(c)FY07 (c) TOTAL REVENUE $845,214 $1,134,009 $1,581,447 $1,790,095 $1,794,631 $1,932,260 $2,146,798 $2,280,464 $2,287,105 $2,333,498 FEDERAL REVENUE
SUBTOTAL197,625
(23.4%)185,694
(16.4%)267,369
(16.9%)369,527
(20.6%)329,975
(18.4%)322,271
(16.7%)300,960
(14%)385,185
(16.9%)409,454 (17.9%) 454,650 (19.4%) CPB 172,000
(20.3%)159,500
(14.1%)229,391
(14.5%)253,309
(14.2%)275,000
(15.3%)260,000
(13.5%)250,000
(11.6%)340,000
(14.9%)350,000 (15.3%) 362,809(b)
(15.5%)377.8(b) 386.8(b) 400 400 Satellite system
replacement0 0 0 65,327(a)
(3.6%)0 0 0 0 0 0 Other federal funds 25,625
(3%)26,194
(2.3%)37,978
(2.4%)50,891
(6.5%)54,975
(3.1%)62,271
(3.2%)50,960
(2.4%)45,185
(2%)59,454 (2.6%) 91,841 (3.9%) NONFEDERAL
INCOME
SUBTOTAL647,589
(76.6%)948,315
(83.6%)1,314,078
(83.1%)1,420,568
(79.4%)1,464,656
(81.6%)1,609,989
(83.3%)1,845,838
(86%)1,895,278
(83.1%)$1,877,651 (82.1%) $1,878,848 (80.5%) State & local
tax-based
sources subtotal301,038
(35.6%)378,828
(33.4%)473,837
(30%)475,176
(26.5%)509,528
(28.4%)542,872
(28.1%)544,279
(25.4%)593,449
(26%)589.742 (25.7%) 583,350 (25%) Local governments 42,353
(5%)50,879
(4.5%)59,810
(3.8%)56,230
(3.1%)55,927
(3.1%)66,087
(3.4%)57,159
(2.7%)60,933
(2.7%)58,232 (2.5%) 56,263 (2.4%) State governments 166,515
(19.7%)213,069
(18.8%)262,219
(16.6%)254,715
(14.2%)272,018
(15.2%)298,834
(15.5%)297,816
(13.9%)331,203
(14.5%)322,460 (14.1%) 317,482 (13.6%) Public colleges
& universities92,170
(10.9%)114,881
(10.1%)151,808
(9.6%)164,232
(9.2%)181,584
(10.2%)177,951
(9.3%)189,304
(8.8%)201,313
(8.8%)209,055 (9.1%) 209,605 (9%) Private sources
subtotal346,551
(41%)569,487
(50.2%)840,241
(53.1%)945,392
(52.8%)955,128
(53.2%)1,067,117
(55.2%)1,301,559
(60.6%)1,301,829
(57.1%)1,287,904 (56.3%) 1,295,498 (55.6%) Private colleges
& universities12,870
(1.5%)26,335
(2.3%)31.204
(2%)23,244
(1.3%)26,049
(1.5%)35,206
(1.8%)31,359
(1.5%)36,460
(1.6%)33,404
(1.5%)36,988
(1.6%)Foundations 22,108
(2.6%)38,343
(3.4%)71,070
(4.5%)99,585
(5.6%)96,927
(5.4%)111,570
(5.8%)123,150
(5.7%)141,184
(6.2%)147,130 (6.4%) 155,493 (6.7%) Business 100,486
(11.9%)170,828
(15.1%)262,448
(16.6%)285,380
(15.9%)301,322
(16.8%)277,576
(14.4%)314,890
(14.7%)361,078
(15.8%)376,182 (16.4%) 351,398 (15.1%) Subscribers 142,076
(16.8%)245,614
(21.7%)340.944
(21.6%)390,570
(21.8%)399,225
(22.2%)472,040
(24.4%)550,427
(25.6%)575,556
(25.2%)593,525 (26%) 609,210 (26.1%) Auction 20,392
(2.4%)22,915
(2%)22,760
(1.4%)21,207
(1.2%)20,590
(1.1%)21,180
(1.1%)17,217
(0.8%)13,052
(0.6%)12,367 (0.5%) 11,354 (0.5%) Other sources 48,619
(5.8%)65,451
(5.8%)111,815
(7.1%)125,407
(7%)111,014
(6.2%)149,545
(7.7%)264,516
(12.3%)174,499
(7.7%)125,296 (5.5%) 131,055 (5.6%)
(a) Over three years, fiscal years 1991-93, Congress appropriated a total of $198 million for CPB to rehab the public TV and radio satellite systems.(b) After budget cuts and adjustments.
(c) For the most recent years, Congress has approved CPB appropriations, but other numbers are not known until CPB releases figures.
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Page updated June 10, 2005
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