Corporation for Public Broadcasting facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Type	Private, non-profit
Industry	Television Radio
Founded	November 7, 1967; 57 years ago (1967-11-07)
Headquarters	Washington, D.C. , U.S.
Area served	United States
Key people	Patricia Harrison (president & CEO)
Number of employees	100

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a special non-profit group in the United States. It was started in 1967. Its main job is to help and support public TV and radio stations.

CPB wants to make sure everyone can watch and listen to high-quality, non-commercial shows. It does this by giving most of its money (over 70%) to more than 1,400 local public radio and TV stations.

How CPB Started

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was created on November 7, 1967. This happened when U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law called the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

At first, CPB worked with a TV network called National Educational Television (NET). Later, NET was replaced by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Ward Chamberlin Jr. was the first person to run CPB.

In 1969, CPB helped create PBS. This new TV service was meant to avoid arguments that some NET shows caused.

On February 26, 1970, CPB also started National Public Radio (NPR). NPR is a network of public radio stations. It began broadcasting in 1971. Unlike PBS, NPR both makes and shares its own shows.

In 2002, CPB helped public TV stations switch to digital broadcasting. This change was finished by 2009.

How CPB Gets and Uses Money

CPB's money mostly comes from the U.S. Congress each year. They also earn a little interest on these funds.

CPB says that about 95% of its money goes directly to:

• Making new shows.
• Helping communities.
• Supporting local TV and radio stations.

For example, in 2014, CPB received about $445.5 million. This money was used in different ways:

• A large part went directly to local public TV stations.
• Money was also given for TV shows and radio programs.
• Some funds supported PBS and NPR.
• A smaller part covered CPB's own running costs.

Public broadcasting stations also get money from other places. These include donations from people who watch or listen, and money from foundations and companies.

Stations that get money from CPB must follow certain rules. For example, they need to have open meetings and keep their financial records public. They also need a community advisory board.

Efforts to Stop CPB Funding

Sometimes, people in the U.S. Congress try to stop CPB's funding. This usually happens when some politicians, often Republicans, think that PBS or NPR shows are too biased.

President Richard Nixon did not like PBS and CPB. He wanted to stop their funding from Congress.

In July 2023, a bill for the next year's budget suggested giving "zero" money to CPB. This bill came from a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, a similar bill in the Senate planned to continue funding CPB.

Who Runs CPB?

CPB is managed by a group called the board of directors. This board has nine members. The president of the United States chooses these members. The Senate then has to approve them.

Board members serve for six years. They can stay on the board until a new person takes their place. As of December 2022, Laura Ross was the chair of the board.

The law says that the president cannot appoint more than five board members from the same political party. This helps keep the board balanced.

The Board of Directors sets the rules for CPB. They also decide what kinds of shows CPB should focus on. The board chooses the president and CEO of CPB. This person then hires other leaders for the organization.

Concerns About Politics

In 2004 and 2005, some people who worked at PBS and NPR felt that CPB was trying to push a certain political view. Board members said they were just trying to make sure all shows were fair and balanced.

This issue became a big deal in 2005. Kenneth Tomlinson was the chairman of the CPB board at that time. He asked a conservative friend to study if a PBS show called NOW with Bill Moyers was biased. He also hired two conservatives to be "Ombudsmen" for CPB. An Ombudsman is someone who looks into complaints.

On November 3, 2005, Tomlinson left the board. This happened after a report about his time as chairman was made public. The report said that Tomlinson had broken some rules. It found that he had tried to directly influence a new TV show. It also said he might have used "political tests" when hiring a new CEO for CPB. This is against the rules.

Rules for Fairness and Balance

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 has important rules for CPB. It says that CPB must be "strictly objective and balanced" in all shows that deal with controversial topics.

CPB also has to regularly check its national programs for fairness. It must report on how it is making sure shows are objective and balanced.

See also

In Spanish: Corporación para la Radiodifusión Pública para niños

• American Public Television
• Public Radio Exchange
• American Public Media