Why this matters — and what’s next
The insights in this tool only exist because CPB collected the data behind it. When federal funding was rescinded, system-wide information that let public media organizations and our advocates make the case to funders, journalists, and policymakers was also lost. That case was central to a year of philanthropic response, including the Public Media Bridge Fund and other support for local stations. Without common data, that story could not have been told.
But the data here stops in FY2024. It can remind you of your historical situation and suggest potential opportunities, but it can’t show you how the system is weathering the loss of federal funding, or give any one station a current basis for deciding what to do next. Public Media Company is working to fill that gap — rebuilding a shared, up-to-date picture of local public media, and asking far less of stations than CPB ever did. More information will be shared soon.