How much do public broadcasters receive in state funding?

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: Stations and state budget documents, 2017 Census data

Funding details by state

Alabama

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $11,935,169, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: 3.3%

Spending per capita: $1.72

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: $14,514,356, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: 0.1%

Spending per capita: $1.76

Recipient: Arkansas Educational Television Network


California

For fiscal year 2023, the California legislature appropriated $15 million to the San Bernardino Community College District to support operations of KVCR.


Colorado

No state funding


Connecticut

No state funding


Delaware

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $413,240, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: 12.2%

Spending per capita: $0.18

Recipients: For FY23, Delaware First Media received $225,000; WHYY in Philadelphia received $180,000; and Delmarva Public Radio received $8,240.


Florida

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $17,691,085, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: 12.8%

Spending per capita: $0.50

Recipients: Thirteen public television stations recommended annually by the Commissioner of Education receive $307,447 each. Thirteen public radio stations are allocated $100,000 per station. The Florida Public Radio Emergency Network Storm Center receives $166,270. The remainder goes to Florida State University’s WFSU-TV, which operates The Florida Channel, a public affairs programming service.


Georgia

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $14,408,321, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: -2.7%

Spending per capita: $1.45

Recipient: Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission dba Georgia Public Broadcasting


Hawaii

No state funding


Idaho

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $3,233,900, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: 14.8%

Spending per capita: $1.76

Recipient: Idaho Public Television. The station received an additional $300,000 in FY24 for “production and media campaigns for education and awareness related to vaping and tobacco.”


Illinois

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $1,507,100, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $0.01


Indiana

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $7,350,000, FY24–25

Change from previous appropriation: 2.1%

Spending per capita: $0.55

Recipients: Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations distributes funds to eight public TV stations and nine public radio stations.


Iowa

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $7,943,438, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: 4.9%

Spending per capita: $2.57

Recipients: Iowa PBS


Kansas

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $500,000, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: No change

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: $36,364,800, FY23–24

Change from previous appropriation: 9.6%

Spending per capita: $3.33

Recipient: Kentucky Educational Television


Louisiana

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation$9,722,843, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: -9.4%

Spending per capita: $1.21

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


Maine

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $3,300,000, FY24–25

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $1.12

Recipient: Maine Public


Maryland

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $33,309,967, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: 7.9%

Spending per capita: $1.38

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: $12,696,000, FY22–23

Change from previous appropriation: 125.2%

Spending per capita: $1.79

Recipients: Minnesota Public Television Association, Minnesota Public Radio and Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (Ampers). MPTA includes five public TV stations; AMPERS distributes funding to 17 community and college stations that qualify for state support. In FY24, Ampers received $1.2 million for a news service tailored to the state’s diversity communities. It also received $850,000 for emergency equipment and “increased cybersecurity and broadcast technology.”


Mississippi

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $8,799,418, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: -8.7%

Spending per capita: $2.31

Recipient: Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, government licensee of Mississippi Public Broadcasting


Missouri

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $1,335,000, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: 32.1%

Spending per capita: $0.17

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 percent split among 12 public radio stations.


Montana

No state funding


Nebraska

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $26,591,474, FY24–25

Change from previous appropriation: 21.8%

Spending per capita: $5.26

Recipient: Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission. In FY24–25, the commission received additional funds for tower lighting, a remote production truck trailer, a radio automation and audio system, and a new routing system.


Nevada

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $925,450, FY22–23

Change from previous appropriation: -31.4% (but see note)

Spending per capita: $0.22

Recipients: Only Nevada’s direct appropriation to public broadcasting decreased from the 2020–21 fiscal biennium to FY 2022–23. In FY20–21, $423,650 supported Vegas PBS and KNPB in Reno in establishing a statewide school-safety datacasting service. In FY22–23, a new formula folded that support into general K–12 education funding.


New Hampshire

The state ended funding for public broadcasting in 2012.

 


New Jersey

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $1,000,000, FY23

 


New Mexico

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $10,284,700, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: -1.7%

Spending per capita: $1.49

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: $14,027,000 FY24

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $0.71

Recipients: Nine public television and 17 public radio stations through the New York State Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting.


North Carolina

No state funding


North Dakota

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $2,992,450, FY24–25

Change from previous appropriation: 149.4%

Spending per capita: $1.13

Recipient: Prairie Public Broadcasting. The network received an additional $1.79 million in FY24–25 for transmitter upgrades.


Ohio

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $20,253,092, FY22–23

Change from previous appropriation: 3.9%

Spending per capita: $0.34

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


Oklahoma

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $2,879,004, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: -10.1%

Spending per capita: $0.72

Recipient: Oklahoma Educational Television Authority


Oregon

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $1,051,601 FY22–23

Change from previous appropriation: 5.1%

Spending per capita: $0.09

Recipient: Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s state appropriation for FY22–23 included $500,000 from the general fund for operating support and $551,601 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: $8,034,044, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: -12.5%

Spending per capita: $1.39

Recipient: South Carolina ETV


South Dakota

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $4,881,944, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: 5.1%

Spending per capita: $4.78

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


Tennessee

Budget cycle: Annual

Most recent appropriation: $2,786,800, FY23

Change from previous appropriation: No change

Spending per capita: $0.10

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: $35,326,300, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: 6.1%

Spending per capita: $8.70 (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: $4,172,479, FY24

Change from previous appropriation: 2.9%

Spending per capita: $2.56

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


Wisconsin

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $11,876,500, FY22–23

Change from previous appropriation: -7%

Spending per capita: $1.12

Recipients: Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television through the Educational Communications Board. The stations will receive $6,127,500 in FY22 and $5,749,500 in FY23.


Wyoming

Budget cycle: Biennial

Most recent appropriation: $2,988,371, FY23–24

Change from previous appropriation: -6.4%

Spending per capita: $3.26

Recipient: Wyoming PBS, through Central Wyoming College