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: $9,635,064, FY24
Change from previous appropriation: -19.3%
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, FY24
Change from previous appropriation: No change
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