It is a challenging time for public media. While a music radio station might seem to be in a different class or category than those prone to attempts to discredit and defund news media, 91.ONE, WNXP operates within Nashville Public Radio and the chilling effect is felt organization-wide. Recently we’ve observed multi-pronged efforts (in Washington and with growing support in states) to strip federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Grateful for our supporters’ crucial partnership in our station’s growth and in fulfilling its music discovery mission, we want our listeners to understand what all this CPB talk means and what’s at stake for WNXP.
What is the CPB and what is its role in public broadcasting?
The CPB is an independent entity created by Congress through the bipartisan Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Its mission is to provide American citizens with no-cost access to broadcasted content that will “inform, educate, enlighten, and enrich the public and help inform civil discourse essential to American society.” The law forming the CPB even stated that it’s in the “public interest” to ensure diversity of programming from broadcasters, which requires “freedom, imagination, and initiative on both local and national levels.”
Congress appropriates funds to CPB in two-year, advance increments; CPB then distributes over 70% of those funds to 1,500+ local public media stations nationwide. The CPB does not create nor broadcast content itself, rather supports the rights of public media such as PBS (television) and NPR (radio) affiliates across the country.
What portion of Nashville Public Radio’s budget is reliant upon CPB funding?
Federal funding via CPB makes up just over 5% of Nashville Public Radio’s annual operating revenue. That means every $1 of federal funding helps us to raise approximately $19 from local sources. This strong return on taxpayer investment costs just $1.60 per U.S. taxpayer annually. What does your $1.60 share help to fund?
- Free access to your favorite local news, educational resources, and cultural programming
- Payment of music licensing fees for the entire public media network, helping non-commercial music stations like WNXP serve you with music discovery
- National emergency alert infrastructure that makes public safety communications possible
- Interconnection, or the broadcast technology system that enables the public media network to operate
So while federal dollars make up only a small portion of Nashville Public Radio’s means for operation, which is most reliant on the generosity of our listener members and regional business sponsors, the CPB contribution is a critical piece of the pie. One that, if removed, would greatly impact our budgets and our provision of services to the community through WPLN and WNXP.
How does the CPB support WNXP specifically?
In addition to the CPB funding’s support of news programming on Nashville Public Radio, including local journalism and national shows piped in from NPR to our sister station WPLN, this funding contributes to covering crucial music broadcasting services for which we would need to otherwise budget.
The CPB negotiates with public radio and TV stations, including NPR affiliates, to cover the music licensing fees with performing rights organizations such as BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. This coverage ensures WNXP’s legal permissions to play artists’ songs — copyrighted material — on-air, as well as the ability to stream through our website and the Nashville Public Radio app. We know people listen to WNXP through their home or car stereos via 91.ONE FM, but also digitally from points all over the world.
How can I take action to support public media?
We need YOU to help protect public media for ALL.
1. Visit Protect My Public Media and urge Congress to safeguard the essential public resources you rely on. Make sure your representatives know that public media is valuable, in whatever way it’s valuable to you.
2. Donate to Nashville Public Radio to help preserve your local programming.
3. Keep paying attention. It may be a long road ahead.
We need you to contact your representatives on or before Thursday, March 6, 2025 — this date marks Protect My Public Media Day, a national day of action to celebrate and defend public media. Meeting this deadline ensures that Congress hears from public media supporters before March 14, when the current continuing resolution funding CPB is set to expire. Protect My Public Media is a collaboration of local public radio and television stations, national distributors, producers, viewers, listeners, and others who support a strong public media in the U.S.
