Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Company type	Private, non-profit[1][2]
Industry	Television Radio
Founded	November 7, 1967; 57 years ago (1967-11-07)
Headquarters	Washington, D.C. , U.S.
Area served	United States
Key people	Patricia Harrison (president & CEO)
Revenue	582,013,746 United States dollar (2023)
Total assets	330,483,332 United States dollar (2023)
Number of employees	≈100 (2019)[3]
Website	www.cpb.org

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (stylized as cpb) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting.^[4] The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services. It does so by distributing more than 70 percent of its funding to more than 1,400 locally owned public radio and television stations.^[5]

History

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was created on November 7, 1967, when U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. The new organization initially collaborated with the National Educational Television network—which would be replaced by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Ward Chamberlin Jr. was the first operating officer.^[6] On March 27, 1968, it was registered as a nonprofit corporation in the District of Columbia.^[7] In 1969, the CPB talked to private groups to start PBS, an entity intended by the CPB to circumvent controversies engendered by certain NET public affairs programs that aired in the late 1960s and engendered opposition by politically conservative public figures, potentially threatening the medium's future viability.^[8]

On February 26, 1970, the CPB formed National Public Radio (NPR), a network of public-radio stations that began operating the following year. Unlike PBS, NPR produces and distributes programming.^[7] On May 31, 2002, the CPB, through special appropriation funding, helped public television stations making the transition to digital broadcasting; this was complete by 2009.^[7]

Funding of and by the corporation

The CPB's annual budget is composed almost entirely of an annual appropriation from Congress plus interest on those funds. CPB has claimed that 95% of its appropriation goes directly to content development, community services, and other local station and system needs.^[9]

For fiscal year 2025^[update], its appropriation was US$535 million, including $10 million in interest earned. The distribution of these funds was as follows:^[10]

• $267.83M for direct grants to local public television stations;
• $96.78M for television programming grants;
• $83.33M for direct grants to local public radio stations;
• $28.63M for the Radio National Program Production and Acquisition
• $9.58M for the Radio Program Fund
• $32.10M for system support
• $26.75M for administration

Public broadcasting stations are funded by a combination of private donations from listeners and viewers, foundations and corporations. Funding for public television comes in roughly equal parts from government (at all levels) and the private sector.^[11]

Stations that receive CPB funds must meet certain requirements,^[12] such as the maintenance or provision of open meetings, open financial records, a community advisory board, equal employment opportunity, and lists of donors and political activities.

Efforts to defund CPB in the US Congress

The CPB has had its congressional funding threatened a number of times, mostly by Republicans who allege a left-wing bias in PBS. President Nixon was well known for his dislike of PBS and the CPB and wanted to kill the congressional funding for it.^[13] In July 2023, the appropriations bill for FY 2024 included zero money for CPB when it passed out of the US House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies^[14][15] However, the corresponding bill considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee plans to continue funding for the CPB, though at 7 percent less than what President Biden requested.^[16]

Board composition

The CPB is governed by a nine-member board of directors selected by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate; they serve six-year terms, and are allowed to continue serving until the end of the calendar year that their term ends or until their successor is seated on the board.^[17] Under the terms of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, the president cannot appoint persons of the same political party to more than five of the nine CPB board seats.^[17]

The Board of Directors governs the CPB, sets policy, and establishes programming priorities. The Board appoints the president and chief executive officer, who then names the other corporate officers.^[18]

Board members

The current CPB board as of December 22, 2024^[update]:^[18]

Position	Name	Party	Appointed by (year of confirmation)	Took office	Term expires
Chair	Ruby Calvert	Republican	Donald Trump (2018), Joe Biden (2022)	May 24, 2018	January 31, 2028
Vice chair	Laura G. Ross	Democratic	Donald Trump (2018), Joe Biden (2022)	May 24, 2018	January 31, 2028
Member	Bruce Ramer	Republican	George W. Bush (2008), Barack Obama (2013), Donald Trump (2019)	October 2, 2008	January 31, 2024
Member	Elizabeth Sembler	Republican	George W. Bush (2008), Barack Obama (2014), Joe Biden (2022)	October 2, 2008	January 31, 2026
Member	Miriam Hellreich	Republican	Donald Trump (2019)	March 14, 2019	January 31, 2024
Member	Thomas E. Rothman	Democratic	Joe Biden (2022)	February 3, 2022	January 31, 2026
Member	Kathy Im	Democratic	Joe Biden (2022)	December 20, 2022	January 31, 2024
Member	Diane Kaplan	Democratic	Joe Biden (2022)	December 20, 2022	January 31, 2026
Member	Vacant				January 31, 2028

Political concerns

In 2004 and 2005, people from PBS and NPR complained that the CPB was starting to push a conservative agenda.^[19][20] Board members replied that they were merely seeking balance.

Kenneth Tomlinson, chair of the CPB board from September 2003 until September 2005, angered PBS and NPR supporters by unilaterally commissioning a conservative colleague to conduct a study of alleged bias in the PBS show NOW with Bill Moyers, and by appointing two conservatives as CPB Ombudsmen.^[21] On November 3, 2005, Tomlinson resigned from the board, prompted by a report of his tenure by the CPB Inspector General, Kenneth Konz, requested by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The report was made public on November 15. It states:

We found evidence that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) former Chairman violated statutory provisions and the Director's Code of Ethics by dealing directly with one of the creators of a new public affairs program during negotiations with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the CPB over creating the show. Our review also found evidence that suggests "political tests" were a major criteria [sic] used by the former Chairman in recruiting a President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for CPB, which violated statutory prohibitions against such practices.^[22]

Objectivity and balance requirements

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 requires the CPB to operate with a "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature".^[17] It also requires it to regularly review national programming for objectivity and balance, and to report on "its efforts to address concerns about objectivity and balance".

See also

• American Public Television
• Public Radio Exchange
• American Public Media

References

1. McLoughlin, Glenn J.; Gomez, Lena A. (May 3, 2017). The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding and Issues (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
2. "About CPB". www.cpb.org. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
3. "Overview Fact Sheet" (PDF). cpb.org. December 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
4. 47 U.S.C. § 396
5. "CPB Financial Information". Archived from the original (web) on November 18, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
6. "Statement from Paula Kerger, President & CEO, PBS on Ward Chamberlin Jr". PBS. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
7. "PBS Timeline". PBS. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
8. "Thematic Window: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting". PBS. Archived from the original on August 11, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
9. "CPB Financial Information". cpd.org. January 15, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
10. "CPB Operating Budget". www.cpb.org. 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
11. "CPB 2013 Annual Report". www.cpb.org. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
12. ernestosilva (October 14, 2015). "Communications Act Compliance". www.cpb.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
13. "Corporation for Public Broadcasting History". Lendio. 1996. ISSN 1557-0126. Wikidata Q122259942.
14. Julian Wyllie (July 14, 2023). "House subcommittee recommends zeroing out CPB funding for FY26". Current. ISSN 0739-991X. Wikidata Q122260182.
15. David Lee (July 21, 2023), Proposed House Appropriations bill eliminates federal funding for public media, Wikidata Q122260308
16. George Winslow (July 27, 2023). "APTS, CPB Commend Senate Funding Recommendations for Public Broadcasting". TV Tech. ISSN 0887-1701. Wikidata Q122260508.
17. "Public Broadcast Act of 1967 Subpart D — Corporation for Public Broadcasting". cpb.org. November 7, 1967. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
18. "Board of Directors". CPB.org. Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
19. NPR's On the Media interview with Tomlinson, May 6, 2005 Archived May 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
20. NPR's On the Media follow-up, July 15, 2005 Archived October 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
21. "CPB Memos Indicate Level of Monitoring". NPR.org. June 30, 2005. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
22. Corporation For Public Broadcasting, Office of Inspector General: Review of Alleged Actions Violating The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, as Amended, Report No. EPB503-602, November 2006 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine, page i

Further reading

• Wolf, Frederick D. (1984). Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Oversight of National Public Radio (PDF) (Report). General Accounting Office. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
• Wolf, Frederick D. (1984). Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Oversight of Public Television (PDF) (Report). General Accounting Office. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
• Morra, Linda G. (1990). Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Congressional Guidance Needed on Administrative Expenses (PDF) (Report). General Accounting Office. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
• Goldstein, Mark L.; Finedore, John (2004). TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Issues Related to Federal Funding for Public Television by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PDF) (Report). General Accounting Office. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
• Goldstein, Mark L. (2007). TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Issues Related to the Structure and Funding of Public Television (PDF) (Report). Government Accountability Office. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
• Alternative Sources of Funding for Public Broadcasting Stations (PDF) (Report). Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
• McLoughlin, Glenn J.; Gomez, Lena A. (July 3, 2017). The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding and Issues (Report). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• "Corporation for Public Broadcasting Internal Revenue Service filings". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
• Current, the newspaper about public TV and radio in the United States
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting records at the University of Maryland Libraries
• Elizabeth L. Young papers at the University of Maryland Libraries