How much does your state spend on public media? Which states spend the most and least per resident? And where does the money go? Our comprehensive guide tracks and explains appropriations to public media in the 36 states where broadcasters receive direct funding. You can also learn more about the overall trends and how much TV and radio each receive.

This survey does not include funding through public universities that is not indicated by a line item in a state’s budget.

Do you have more questions about state funding for public broadcasting? Email us or tweet at us.

Change in funding for public media between last two budget cycles

Sources: Stations and state budget documents

Public media funding per capita

Sources: State budget documents, 2022 Census data

Funding details by state

Alabama

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $10,699,798, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 4.9%

Spending per capita: $1.86

Recipient: Alabama Public Television

Alaska

Alaska’s governor cut all funding for public broadcasting in the state in FY2020.

Arizona

No state funding

 

Arkansas

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $7,015,471, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 12%

Spending per capita: $4.77

Recipient: Arkansas Educational Television Network

Colorado

No state funding

Connecticut

No state funding

Delaware

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $452,240, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 3.2%

Spending per capita: $0.36

Recipients: For FY26, Delaware First Media received $252,000, WHYY in Philadelphia received $190,000 and Delmarva Public Radio received $10,240.

Florida

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $5,293,345, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -70.1%

Spending per capita: $0.71

Recipients: Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed base funding of $1.3 million for public radio stations and $4.4 million for public TV stations in the fiscal year 2026 state budget. Funding was appropriated for the Florida Channel and the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network Storm Center.

Georgia

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $13,271,993, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -0.0001%

Spending per capita: $1.26

Recipient: Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission dba Georgia Public Broadcasting

Hawaii

No state funding

Idaho

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $3,016,600, FY25

Change from previous appropriation: -6.7%

Spending per capita: $1.40

Recipient: Idaho Public Television

Illinois

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $1,657,800, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $0.12

Funding is administered through the Illinois Arts Council and is divided into two grant pools: 75% allocated for public television stations and 25% for public radio stations. The grants are distributed based on a combination of basic service and operating support formulas, which consider each station’s operating costs. 

Indiana

In 2025, Indiana’s legislature eliminated funding for public broadcasting in the state for the 2026–27 biennium.

Iowa

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $8,165,236, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 0.6%

Spending per capita: $2.57

Recipients: Iowa PBS

Kansas

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $500,000, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -28.6%

Spending per capita: $0.17

Recipients: The Kansas Public Broadcasting Council, which divides the amount among four public TV stations and five public radio stations following a formula similar to CPB’s. “It is also weighted to ensure that most goes to stations serving rural communities in Kansas,” said Debra Fraser, GM at KMUW in Wichita and chair of the Council.

Kentucky

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $39,162,200, FY25–26

Change from previous appropriation: 7.7%

Spending per capita: $3.68

Recipient: Kentucky Educational Television. For fiscal years 2025 and 2026, KET is slated to receive $750,000 each year to increase its digital content and infrastructure.

Louisiana

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $9,090,190, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -11.4%

Spending per capita: $2.34

Recipient: Louisiana Educational Television Authority, WYES-TV, WLAE-TV

Maine

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $3,300,000, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $1.19

Recipient: Maine Public

Maryland

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $36,252,188, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 6%

Spending per capita: $4.84

Recipients: The Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, licensee of Maryland Public Television.

Massachusetts

No state funding

Michigan

No state funding

Minnesota

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $23,809,000, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: -22.7%

Spending per capita: $2.21

Recipients: Public TV stations, Minnesota Public Radio and the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (Ampers)

Mississippi

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $14,634,557, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 31.2%

Spending per capita: $2.76

Recipient: Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, government licensee of Mississippi Public Broadcasting. For fiscal year 2026, the Mississippi legislature appropriated $1.5 million for MPB for tower maintenance and upgrades. It also appropriated $2.2 million in new funding for a new statewide distance learning project created by MPB and the Mississippi Department of Education.

Missouri

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $2,101,667, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -10.6%

Spending per capita: $0.16

Recipients: The Missouri Arts Council distributes funding to public broadcasters by formula. Seventy-five percent of the appropriation is divided among four public TV stations, with the remaining 25% split among 12 public radio stations. The stations received a $500,000 one-time appropriation in FY25.

Montana

No state funding

Nebraska

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $24,774,002, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: -6.8%

Spending per capita: $5.82

Recipient: Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission. For FY26, the commission received $150,000 to convert three VHF television translators to UHF in northwestern Nebraska.

Nevada

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $925,450, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $0.15

Recipients: “Aid for education and training”

New Hampshire

The state ended funding for public broadcasting in 2012.

 

New Jersey

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $250,000, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -75%

Spending per capita: $0.11

Recipient: NJ PBS

 

New Mexico

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $12,141,700, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -24.9%

Spending per capita: $4.78

Recipients: Three stations through the University of New Mexico (KNME), New Mexico State University (KRWG) and Eastern New Mexico University (KENW).

New York

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $18,027,000, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: 28.5%

Spending per capita: $0.68

Recipients: Nine public television and 17 public radio stations through the New York State Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting. The New York legislature gave public radio stations an additional $4 million in funding for fiscal year 2026.

North Carolina

No state funding

North Dakota

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $400,000 FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: -86.6%

Spending per capita: $0.77

Recipient: Prairie Public Broadcasting. In 2025, North Dakota’s legislature appropriated only $400,000 for tower improvements after threatening to eliminate funding entirely.

Ohio

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $20,111,934, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: -5.5%

Spending per capita: $0.86

Recipients: Thirty-two public radio stations and 12 public television stations through the Broadcast Educational Media Commission.

Oklahoma

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $2,954,004, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -49.1%

Spending per capita: $0.80

Recipient: Oklahoma Educational Television Authority. In FY25, the state appropriated $2.85 million to OETA for replacing rural transmitters.

Oregon

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $1,305,874, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: 24%

Spending per capita: $0.12

Recipient: Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s state appropriation for FY26-27 included $750,000 from the general fund and $555,874 in lottery funds for debt service on previously issued bonds.

Pennsylvania

The state ended funding for public broadcasting in 2021.

 

Rhode Island

The state ended funding for public broadcasting in 2012.

South Carolina

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $10,563,282, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -24.7%

Spending per capita: $1.74

Recipient: South Carolina ETV

South Dakota

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $5,570,948, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $4.88

Recipient: South Dakota Public Broadcasting, which operates nine TV stations and 11 radio stations.

Tennessee

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $2,786,800, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $0.40

Recipients: Seven public TV stations in Tennessee receive funds through the Tennessee Public Television Council in the Department of Education.

Texas

No state funding

Utah

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $36,015,600, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -10%

Spending per capita: $10.05 (the most among all states)

Recipient: Utah Education and Telehealth Network

Vermont

Vermont does not provide funding for public media. In FY18, lawmakers cut funding for Vermont PBS from $271,103 to $1. Gov. Phil Scott proposed cutting that last dollar in FY19, but the legislature restored it. In FY20, Scott got his way.

Virginia

No state funding

 

Washington

No state funding

 

West Virginia

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $3,872,092, FY26

Change from previous appropriation: -10.4%

Spending per capita: $2.13

Recipient: Educational Broadcasting Authority, governing body of West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Wisconsin

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $12,645,100, FY26–27

Change from previous appropriation: -2.9%

Spending per capita: $1.04

Recipients: Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television through the Educational Communications Board

Wyoming

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $3,411,976, FY25–26

Change from previous appropriation: 14.2%

Spending per capita: $2.74

Recipient: Wyoming PBS, through Central Wyoming College