Pressroom
For Immediate Release December 9, 2009
Statement on CPB's FY2010/2012 Funding
Last night, a U.S. House-Senate conference committee approved a package of six unfinished fiscal year 2010 spending bills, including the one that funds the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other public broadcasting programs. The $446.8 billion “omnibus” appropriations bill is expected to be approved by the House of Representatives later this week, after which it must be approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama.
The omnibus bill provides CPB a $445 million advanced appropriation for FY 2012; as well as $36 million for digital conversion, $25 million for the public radio interconnection system (PRSS) and $27.3 million for Ready To Learn (RTL) for FY 2010.
In addition, the bill provides $25 million in “fiscal stabilization” grants to public television and radio stations to maintain local programming and services and preserve jobs threatened by declines in non-federal revenue sources during the current economic decline. If enacted, the proposed FY 2012 CPB funding would represent a $15 million, or 3.5 percent, increase over CPB’s FY 2011 levels and the RTL funding would be $1.9 million, or 7.5 percent, more than FY 2009. In total, the funding in the bill represents an increase of $41.7 million, or 8.1 percent, over comparable levels contained in last year’s appropriations legislation.
We realize that appropriators had to make many difficult decisions in allocating resources, given the economic situation facing our country. As such, we are grateful to Chairmen Obey, Inouye and Harkin, Ranking Members Cochran, Lewis and Tiahrt and the other members of the conference committee for the funding contained in the bill and for acknowledging the vital service public media provides to the American people.
In particular, the legislation’s support for the two-year advance appropriation will afford public broadcasters a measure of certainty in their business planning and serves as an important firewall ensuring editorial independence in programming decisions.
Furthermore, we appreciate the bill’s recognition of the precarious financial situation of the industry by providing $25 million in emergency funding to local stations that are struggling with severe revenue shortfalls as a result of the economic downturn.
About CPB
CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,100 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.