Every year, for almost a decade, Americans have ranked public television as the institution they trust most. And more than 70 percent of Americans see funding for public television as money “well spent.” Exactly how much do Americans spend to support this resource? Pocket change: The United States spends less than$1.50 per person on public broadcasting — 20 times less than Germany and a whopping 70 times less than Denmark.
Yet every year a few members of Congress threaten public media’s survival with legislation that would gut CPB’s funding.
And state-level budget battles have eroded funding for public broadcasters around the country. In 2011, Free Press released the first-ever inventory of state funding cuts and examined the impact these reductions have had on local stations.
Free Press continues to fight for public media funding in the face of these attacks and is working to build a new movement of people to protect and expand noncommercial media in the United States.
