When I was young, shows on PBS were free. Now, in order to watch most of your programming, I must pay a couple hundred dollars per year to become a member. So in effect, you have become a very expensive pay channel. Why the change in policy?
Received:
Florida
Workbench Page Type:
Email:
Month and Year:
November, 2021
Comment:
Thank you for contacting us with your concern about funding public media and its content. Public media is a public-private partnership relying on multiple sources of funding in addition to the federal investment. PBS stations have always relied on donations from individuals to provide content to local communities and contributions from members to local stations are the largest single source of support for public television. In 2011, Congress asked CPB to produce a report on alternatives to federal funding for public media (PUBLIC LAW 112–74—DEC. 23, 2011). A link to that report can be found below. PBS Passport, which offers extended access to national and local content, is an added benefit of station membership. It cannot be purchased separately and is not a subscription service. This member benefit is a complement to the fundamental service PBS and PBS stations provide -- access to outstanding programming via over-the-air broadcast and through free streaming for a significant time. Every program available via Passport was previously available for streaming to non-Passport Members after the broadcast. Public media continues to offer the broadest access to freely available TV content – over-the-air on local member stations, through digital platforms and in communities across the U.S. Both local and national content is available without charge from stations around the country through a variety of platforms. https://www.cpb.org/files/aboutcpb/Alternative_Sources_of_Funding_for_Public_Broadcasting_Stations.pdf