The
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (
CPB) is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, funded by the
United States’ federal governmentThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
to promote
public broadcastingPublic broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
. Historically, 15~20% of the aggregate revenues of all public broadcasting stations have been funded from federal sources, principally through the CPB.
The CPB was created on November 7, 1967, when U.S. president
Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
signed the
Public Broadcasting Act of 1967The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 set up public broadcasting in the United States, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and eventually the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio .When Lyndon B...
. The new organization initially collaborated with the pre-existing
National Educational TelevisionNational Educational Television was an American non-commercial educational public television network in the United States from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970...
network. In 1969, the CPB talked to private groups to start the
Public Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS). In 1970, the CPB formed National Public Radio (NPR), a
radio networkThere are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
of public stations.
The CPB provides some funding for
PBSThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
and
NPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, as well as to other broadcasters that are independent of those organizations, though much more of its funding goes to public television and radio stations that are members of PBS or NPR. In more recent years, the CPB has started funding some
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-based projects.
Funding of and by the CPB
The CPB’s annual budget is composed almost entirely of an annual appropriation from Congress plus interest on those funds. For fiscal year 2010, its appropriation was US$422 million (including $2 million in interest earned). The distribution of these funds were as follows:
- $21.0 million (a maximum of 5% of the total budget) for CPB administrative costs
- $25.2 million (a maximum of 6% of the total budget) for funds to support the Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
generally, as opposed to specific stations.
- $281.85 million (66.8% of the total budget) for public television, distributed as:
- $210.26 million as grants to individual public television stations
- $71.59 million for public television programming
- $93.94 million (22.3% of total budget) for public radio, distributed as:
- $65.41 million as grants to individual public radio stations
- $21.74 million as grants for radio programming acquisition
- $6.79 million for public radio programming
The CPB also distributed a separate appropriation for
conversion to digital televisionThe digital television transition is the process in which analog television broadcasting is converted to and replaced by digital television. This primarily involves both TV stations and over-the-air viewers; however it also involves content providers like TV networks, and cable television...
, which was mandated to occur by June 12, 2009.
Public broadcasting stations are funded by a combination of private donations from members, foundations and corporations (60.4% of 2006 total revenues of all stations), state and local taxes (22.2% of 2006 total revenues), local and national
underwritingUnderwriting refers to the process that a large financial service provider uses to assess the eligibility of a customer to receive their products . The name derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market...
, and federal funds, principally through the CPB (17.3% of 2006 total revenues).
About 90% of the 2005 budget was distributed to public broadcasters across the country, including both local and national organizations. Stations which receive CPB funds must meet certain requirements, such as to maintain or provide:
- Open meetings
- Open financial records
- Community advisory board
- Equal employment opportunity
- Donor list and political activities
Board members
These six board members were in office as of September 2009:
- Bruce Ramer (chair), Republican, nominated May 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by U.S. Senate October 2008. Terms expires 2012.
- Former Senator David H. Pryor
David Hampton Pryor is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966...
(vice chair), Democrat, nominated to first term by President George W. Bush in 2006. Renominated to second term May 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by U.S. Senate October 2008. Term expires 2014.
- Chris Boskin, Republican, nominated June 2006 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by U.S. Senate September 2006. Term expires 2012.
- Patricia Cahill, Democrat, nominated July 2009 by President Obama, confirmed by U.S. Senate August 2009. Term expires 2014.
- Lori Gilbert, Democrat, nominated May 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by U.S. Senate October 2008. term expires 2012.
- Elizabeth Sembler, Republican, nominated May 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by U.S. Senate October 2008. Term expires 2014.
Political composition of the CPB Board
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has six board members who serve six-year terms and are selected by the
President of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and confirmed by the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
As of (February 2011), the CPB board was composed of three Republicans and three Democrats. According to the
Public Broadcasting ActThe Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 set up public broadcasting in the United States, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and eventually the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio .When Lyndon B...
, the
White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
cannot appoint persons of the same political party to more than five of the nine CPB board seats.
In 2004 and 2005, there were complaints by people within PBS and NPR that the CPB was starting to push a conservative agenda, while board members counter that they are merely seeking balance. Polls of the PBS and NPR audiences in 2002 and 2003 indicated that few felt that the groups’ news reports contained
biasBias is an inclination to present or hold a partial perspective at the expense of alternatives. Bias can come in many forms.-In judgement and decision making:...
, and those that saw a slant were split as to which side they believed the reports favored. The president of the CPB,
Patricia HarrisonPatricia Destacy Harrison is 's sister. She lives in the United States, a position to which she was appointed with strong backing from CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson...
, is a former co-chair of the
Republican National CommitteeThe Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
; between 2001–2010, its chair was a Republican.
The charge of a conservative agenda reached a head in 2005. The point man of the controversy,
Kenneth TomlinsonKenneth Y. Tomlinson is a former editor at Reader's Digest and American government official. He is the former chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which manages Voice of America radio, and formerly Chairman of the Board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which manages funds...
, was the chair of the CPB board from September 2003 until September 2005. During his time as Chair, he drew the anger of PBS and NPR supporters by unilaterally commissioning a study of alleged bias of the PBS show,
NOW with Bill Moyers, conducted by a conservative colleague, and by appointing two conservatives as CPB Ombudsmen. On November 3, 2005, Tomlinson resigned from the board in the face of allegations of scandal. A report of his tenure by the CPB Inspector General, Kenneth Konz, requested by House Democrats, prompted his resignation. On November 15, the report was made public. It 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 PBS and the CPB over creating the show." It also "found evidence that suggests “political tests” were a major criteria used by the former Chairman in recruiting a President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for CPB, which violated statutory prohibitions against such practices".
Objectivity and balance requirements
The
Public Broadcasting Act of 1967The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 set up public broadcasting in the United States, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and eventually the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio .When Lyndon B...
requires that the CPB operate with a "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature." It also requires that the CPB regularly review national programming for objectivity and balance, as well as report on "its efforts to address concerns about objectivity and balance."
External links