As federal funds wane, NPR ruefully clashes with CPB

"NPR asked a federal judge to block the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from awarding a $57.9 million grant to a new consortium of public media institutions to operate the satellite that connects the public radio system for the next five years. NPR's submission, filed Friday afternoon, gives insight into the behind-the-scenes tensions within public media this year as Congressional Republicans successfully moved, at President Trump's insistence to strip public broadcasting of all funding they had already approved for the next two years."

"NPR has run the satellite-based system for more than four decades. It enables hundreds of public radio stations and other outside producers to air and share programming, including many shows and stations with no affiliation with NPR itself. CPB is the Congressionally funded private corporation through which federal money is funneled to public radio and tv stations, PBS and, to a lesser extent, NPR."

NPR asked a federal judge to block the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from awarding a $57.9 million grant to a new consortium to operate the satellite linking the public radio system for five years. Congressional Republicans, at President Trump's insistence, moved to strip public broadcasting of previously approved funding for the next two years, eliminating that subsidy with the new federal fiscal year. NPR has run the satellite system for over four decades and it enables hundreds of stations and outside producers to air and share programming. CPB funnels federal money to public radio, TV and PBS, and CPB reversed an earlier decision to involve NPR in running the service. Federal funding for the satellite distribution is calculated separately from money NPR receives for operations; federal support has typically covered about 1–2% of NPR's budget, about 15% on average for PBS stations, and roughly 10% for public radio stations.

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