From Guglielmo Marconi to Jarl Mohn, dive into our multimedia roundup of public media’s milestones and lesser-known escapades.
History of public media
How President Johnson set the stage for passage of the Public Broadcasting Act
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Only eight months after LBJ called on lawmakers to support his bill creating CPB, the measure passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support.
About Public Media
Drop the stuffy presentation style for classical radio and the format will thrive
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To the Editors,
I read Ben Mook’s Feb. 11 piece about the de-commercialization of classical radio with a mixture of sadness and muted happiness. The fact that the attrition has slowed is indeed a positive, but the stubborn misconception that classical music cannot be a successful commercial radio format is simply wrong and quite depressing. The problem lies not in the music — for, indeed, properly programmed classical music on the radio has been, and can be, commercially viable — but in the music-academy approach to presentation that dooms any attempt to draw in new listeners. Classical music can be day-parted and made accessible, probably more so than almost any other genre of music.
Public Media Policybase
CPB appropriations by year
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This is CPB’s account of its history of annual appropriations since its founding in more than 40 years ago. Figures shown represent millions of dollars (for example, $5.0 = $5 million). More recent figures may be posted by CPB. Fiscal Year
Admin. Request
House Allocation
Senate Allocation
Appropriation
1969
$9.0
(b)
$6.0
$5.0
1970
$15.0
(b)
$15.0
$15.0
1971
$22.0
(b)
$27.0
$23.0
1972
$35.0
$35.0
$35.0
$35.0
1973
$45.0
$45.0
$45.0
$35.0
1974
$45.0
(b)
$55.0
$50.0
1975
$60.0
$60.0
$65.0
$62.0
1976
$70.0
$78.5
$78.5
$78.5
TQ (a)
$17.0
$17.5
$17.5
$17.5
1977
$70.0
$96.7
$103.0
$103.0
1978
$80.0
$107.1
$121.1
$119.2
1979
$90.0
$120.2
$140.0
$120.2
1980
$120.0
$145.0
$172.0
$152.0
1981
$162.0
$162.0
$162.0
$162.0
1982
$172.0
$172.0
$172.0
$172.0
1983
$172.0
$172.0
$172.0
$137.0
1984
$110.0
$110.0
$130.0
$137.5
1985
$85.0
$130.0
$130.0
$150.5
1986
$75.0
$130.0
$130.0
$159.5
1987
$186.0
(b)
$238.0
$200.0
1988
$214.0
(b)
$214.0
$214.0
1989
$214.0
$214.0
$238.0
$228.0
1990
$214.0
$238.0
$248.0
$229.4
1991
$214.0
(b)
$245.0
$245.0
1992
$242.1
$242.1
$260.0
$251.1
1993
$259.6
$259.6
$275.0
$259.6
1994
$260.0
$253.3
$284.0
$275.0
1995
$275.0
$271.6
$310.0
$285.6
1996
$292.6
$292.6
$320.0
$275.0
1997
$292.6
(b)
$330.0
$260.0
1998
$296.4
$240.0
$260.0
$250.0
1999
$275.0
$250.0
$250.0
$250.0
2000
$325.0
$300.0
$300.0
$300.0
2001
$340.0
$340.0
$340.0
$340.0
2002
$350.0
$340.0
$350.0
$350.0
2003
$365.0
$365.0
$365.0
$362.8
2004
(c)
$365.0
$395.0
$377.8
2005
(c)
$380.0
$395.0
$386.8
2006
(c) (d)
$335.0
$400.0
$396.0
2007
(c) (d)
$400.0
$400.0
$400.0
2008
(c) (d)
$400.0
$400.0
$393.0
2009
(c) (d)
none
$400.0
$400.0
2010
(c) (d)
$420.0
$420.0
$420.0
2011
(c)
$430.0
$430.0
$429.1
2012
$440.0
$440.0
$450.0
$444.1
2013
$460.0
$460.0
$460.0
$445.0
2014
$451.0
none
$445.0
$445.0
Notes
(a) Transition Quarter funding, during which federal budget year changed from July to September.
Chapter a Day
At 90, pubradio pioneer upholds a literary tradition
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Decades ago, Karl Schmidt occupied himself by staging elaborate award-winning works of theater for radio broadcast. At 90, he’s still weaving compelling stories on the air, but he’s down to a troupe of just one actor — himself.
Public Media Policybase
Appropriations by Congress to CPB / Curve, 1969-2001
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Opponents of aid to public broadcasting created plateaus in CPB spending in early 1980s and again in 1990s. But the general upward swing of this chart doesn’t mean more spending power. After adjusting for inflation, FY2000’s $300 million is worth 5 percent less than the FY90 figure of $229.4 million. Figures are rising again since failure of the zero-it-out movement: $300M for FY2000 and $340M for FY2001. CPB’s first appropriation in FY68 was just $5M, but from there the sum often rose by $10M or $20M a year.
Public Media Policybase
NPR Underwriting Credit Guidelines, 2012
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Retrieved from NPR.org Nov. 25, 2012
Underwriting credits acknowledge organizations which fund public radio programming. Federal law mandates this identification and further allows for the non promotional description of the sponsors products and services. The following guidelines assist NPR and its underwriters in developing credit language that complies with FCC and IRS regulations for non-commercial broadcasters.NPR underwriting credits must contain:
The legal name of the underwriter, to be read immediately after the standard opening phrase, “Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and…
Credits may also include the following:
Non-promotional, value-neutral, descriptions of organization, products and services. Names of operating divisions and subsidiaries.
Public Media Policybase
PTFP’s last round of grants, fiscal year 2010
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PTFP’s last annual grant round came toward the end of fiscal year 2010, and the agency later began soliciting applications for FY 2011, but the lingering recession and budget stalemate took down the grant program early in 2011. In fall 2011 the Commerce Department agency National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced $20.45 million in PTFP grants for 126 projects. Nearly half the money, $9.9 million, went to replace old equipment at existing stations;
$5.1 million went to extend or start 30 radio services and 1 TV service;
$4.1 million helped TV stations with conversion to digital operation, a major expense during PTFP’s last years. A handful of other grants went to four emergency repair projects during the year, digital radio upgrades, facilities planning by future applicants, a radio reading service for the blind, a distance learning project and the perennial grantee PEACESAT. 2010 PTFP Awards
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AlabamaAlabama Educational Television Commission
WBIQ-DT
Birmingham, AL
01-02-N10080
A project to assist the Alabama Educational Television Commission, Birmingham, AL, with the acquisition and installation of a Flywheel UPS unit and a 3,000 gallon diesel fuel tank for WIIQ-TV, Demopolis, AL.
CPB Board
Life cycle of a reform: independence of CPB Program Fund
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Ron Hull, a former director of the Program Fund, reflects on the value of buffer from partisan politics
Jan. 2, 1979 — Robben Fleming, a university president and an authority on (labor) negotiations, comes to CPB as its third president. Also in January, the politically appointed CPB Board suspends its committees to reevaluate their roles. This decision shelved the board’s Program Committee, which traditionally had voted aye or nay on national production proposals for public TV. Even before Fleming arrived, the CPB Board had been rethinking this process.