NPR & Public Broadcasting Cut from Government Funding

Since inception there have been assorted efforts to terminate, kill, or defend Public Broadcasting in the US. Lets assume that either occurred in the latter 1980s, or post 2000. In each case can NPR survive independent of Federal Government financing?
 
Since inception there have been assorted efforts to terminate, kill, or defend Public Broadcasting in the US. Lets assume that either occurred in the latter 1980s, or post 2000. In each case can NPR survive independent of Federal Government financing?
NPR IIRC mostly relies on sales to affiliates, which in turn relies on contributions from the general public and businesses. So it largely already does so survive.
 

Driftless

Donor
A large chunk of the programming was/is either created or sourced by the regional entities, but they often need a national audience to really take off. I'm thinking of programs like "Mr Roger's" (Pittsburg), "This Old House"(Boston), "Prairie Home Companion" (Minnesota); among many others. I think those national level shows help carry the freight for the truly local shows. Apart from the national funding, so many stations on those public networks have survived by a mix of viewer contributions and discretely packaged commercials. I think it would have been very difficult for Public Broadcasting to have survived it's early years without some underpinning of financial guarantees. If it were unfunded now, it probably survives, but the programming will change quickly and only the popular shows survive.

Strictly OpEd: I've been a donor for Wisconsin and Minnesota Public TV & Radio. I believe the quality of the material usually beats the stuffing out of most commercial programming. Generally speaking, the goal is to expand viewer and listeners knowledge - that's good. i.e. I have learned a ton of useful home remodeling knowledge from watching "This Old House". Too much Khardassian style "reality" crap on commercial networks
 
NPR IIRC mostly relies on sales to affiliates, which in turn relies on contributions from the general public and businesses. ...

That system has evolved over forty years.

... I think it would have been very difficult for Public Broadcasting to have survived it's early years without some underpinning of financial guarantees. If it were unfunded now, it probably survives, but the programming will change quickly and only the popular shows survive. ...

This is why I proposed two different time frames. I suspect by 2000 the subscriber/donation system of funding & other sources are solidly enough in place it can survive. The 1980s are a different matter. It was the threat of defunding that spurred Public Broadcasting into seeking a 'listener supportive' system, but I don't have a solid take on the numbers for that era & how fast the audience funding developed.
 
That system has evolved over forty years.



This is why I proposed two different time frames. I suspect by 2000 the subscriber/donation system of funding & other sources are solidly enough in place it can survive. The 1980s are a different matter. It was the threat of defunding that spurred Public Broadcasting into seeking a 'listener supportive' system, but I don't have a solid take on the numbers for that era & how fast the audience funding developed.
It think it would be an affiliate-by affiliate variation. Presumably the programming might be more purely educational than any, say, news analysis or light entertainment, kinda like the Smithsonian Channel. Rememver, a lot of public broadcasters are tied to academic institutions. So defunding would mean less All Things Considered, more Sesame Street.
 
Well Carl, yet another interesting thread!

I have no thoughts on the OP question at the moment, as I don't know enough about how these things work. I only offer a question of my own. I was able to easily get a URL for one of my two favorite radio programs from yesteryear, and that was "The rest of the story" but I didn't get one for "From another point of View", which had to be be from back in the late 70's to early 80's. Can anyone provide a link to that programs history?

Thanks.
 
Have a variant question to insert here. Is it possible for a listener movement to take off, which from donor funds enlarges public broadcasting to the point where it significantly erodes commercial broadcasting.
 
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