What to know about KCBX and Federal Funding
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About KCBX, Public Media and Federal Funding
Public media reaches 99% of the U.S. population and serves millions of Americans every day.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent nonprofit that distributes federal dollars (an average of $1.60 per American annually) to local stations. That money is used to invest in programming and services according to each community’s needs.
Public media stations are partially funded by the CPB. Each station is locally managed and makes programming and service decisions to address unique community needs and interests. At KCBX, these programs and services include the national shows you enjoy, like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, as well as 24 locally hosted music shows like The Morning Cup, The Road Home, Broken Spoke and Global Spin.
Federal funds account for 12% KCBX’s annual budget. Additionally, we receive in-kind resources toward satellite interconnections, emergency alert systems and music licensing. If funding is eliminated, KCBX will need to replace $420,000 in annual funding to continue with the same level of programming.
What’s happening right now
May 13, 2025: In NPR Extra, Katherine Maher, NPR President and CEO, outlines NPR's editorial enhancements and commitment to serving the American people.
May 12, 2025: NPR reports that court documents outline DOGE staffers attempted to assign a team to review the operations of CPB.
May 2, 2025: The White House’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request defunds the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – a lifeline for more than 1,500 local public radio and TV stations.
May 1, 2025: President Trump issued an executive order demanding the CPB cease all direct and indirect funding to NPR and PBS.
April 15, 2025: It was reported that the Trump administration drafted a memo to Congress outlining its intent to cut nearly all federal money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
March 26, 2025: NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger appeared before the House DOGE subcommittee to address accusations of political bias by Republican lawmakers. The hearing was entitled "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable," and Republican lawmakers questioned whether public broadcasting should receive federal support.
January 30, 2025: FCC Chair Brendan Carr has also announced an investigation into the practice of NPR and PBS stations airing sponsorships. NPR’s Maher affirmed in a statement that NPR’s programming and underwriting complies with all federal regulations.
While these actions signal increasing scrutiny of public media funding, no changes to federal funding have passed through Congress yet.
How you can help
Make a gift of support. We welcome all listeners to become donors — whether it’s your 1st or 50th donation. Be a sustaining donor, increase your monthly donation amount or make a one-time gift — it all makes a difference.
More about CPB
CPB is distinct from NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, producer, or distributor but a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 to support other public radio and television entities. Its two primary functions are to serve as a firewall between politics and public broadcasting and to help fund programming, stations, and technology.
Funding for CPB is established two years in advance through the federal annual appropriations process. The advance is intended to insulate funding from political pressures.
CPB’s general appropriation for fiscal year 2025 was $535 million – with the total federal support for public media amounting to about $1.60 per year per person. The CPB is responsible for allocating its funds from the federal budget in any way that fulfills its mission: to ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial-free and free of charge.
Nearly 70% of the total funding is distributed directly to local stations like KCBX so we can decide how best to program for our communities. CPB has had bipartisan support in Congress for more than 50 years.