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: $10,199,789, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 5.9%
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: $15,200,142, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 0.5%
Spending per capita: $4.77
Recipient: Arkansas Educational Television Network
California
California does not dispense an annual lump sum to the state’s public broadcasters. For fiscal year 2024, the California legislature appropriated $2 million to the city of Fresno for “building of a new public radio headquarters and programming” for Radio Bilingüe.
Colorado
No state funding
Connecticut
No state funding
Delaware
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $438,240, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: -1.1%
Spending per capita: $0.36
Recipients: For FY25, Delaware First Media received $250,000, WHYY in Philadelphia received $180,000 and Delmarva Public Radio received $8,240.
Florida
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $17,692,911, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 57.2%
Spending per capita: $0.71
Recipients: In FY25, public television stations recommended by the Commissioner of Education received $370,400 each. Public radio stations were allocated $100,000 per station.
Georgia
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $15,200,142, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 2.1%
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, FY24
Change from previous appropriation: No change
Spending per capita: $0.12
Indiana
Budget cycle: Biennial
Most recent appropriation: $7,350,000, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 2.1%
Spending per capita: $0.53
Recipients: Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations distributes funds to eight public TV stations and nine public radio stations.
Iowa
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $7,943,538, FY24
Change from previous appropriation: No change
Spending per capita: $2.57
Recipients: Iowa PBS
Kansas
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $700,000, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 40%
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: $14,990,750, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 61.8%
Spending per capita: $2.34
Recipient: Louisiana Educational Television Authority, WYES-TV, WLAE-TV. For FY25, the LETA received $3,436,738 for “acquisitions/major repairs.”
Maine
Budget cycle: Biennial
Most recent appropriation: $3,300,000, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: No change
Spending per capita: $1.19
Recipient: Maine Public
Maryland
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $36,252,188, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 8.8%
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: $12,696,000, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 125.2%
Spending per capita: $2.21
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: $6,865,773, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: -22%
Spending per capita: $2.76
Recipient: Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, government licensee of Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Missouri
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $2,351,667, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 27%
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 percent 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: $26,591,474, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 21.8%
Spending per capita: $5.82
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, FY24–25
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: $1,000,000, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: No change
Spending per capita: $0.11
Recipient: NJ PBS
New Mexico
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $16,159,400, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 57.1%
Spending per capita: $4.78
Recipients: Four stations through the University of New Mexico (KNME), New Mexico State University (KRWG), Eastern New Mexico University (KENW) and Santa Fe Community College (KSFR).
New York
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $14,027,000, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: No change
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.
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: $0.77
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: $21,288,600, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 5.1%
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: $5,804,004, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 101.6%
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: $1,053,204 FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 0.2%
Spending per capita: $0.12
Recipient: Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon’s state appropriation for FY22–23 included $500,000 from the general fund for operating support and $553,204 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: $14,027,000, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 10.3%
Spending per capita: $1.74
Recipient: South Carolina ETV
South Dakota
Budget cycle: Annual
Most recent appropriation: $$5,383,055, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 10.3%
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, FY25
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: $40,015,400, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 13.3%
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: $4,323,875, FY25
Change from previous appropriation: 3.6%
Spending per capita: $2.13
Recipient: Educational Broadcasting Authority, governing body of West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Wisconsin
Budget cycle: Biennial
Most recent appropriation: $13,024,500, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 9.7%
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, FY24–25
Change from previous appropriation: 14.2%
Spending per capita: $2.74
Recipient: Wyoming PBS, through Central Wyoming College