Individual giving and underwriting revenue for local public radio news stations
Revenue for the 123 largest news-oriented public radio licensees (in U.S. dollars)
YearIndividual givingUnderwriting
2008$260,960,182$198,025,282
2009$276,161,970$175,689,164
2010$288,300,541$178,751,907
2011$308,219,610$177,198,166
2012$316,004,310$191,696,566
2013$331,939,227$192,111,102
2014$342,250,140$203,386,494
2015$365,703,727$212,194,935
2016$376,131,389$217,585,274
2017$399,172,509$220,103,262
2018$418,737,546$226,547,675
2019$429,788,764$227,610,088

Note: All figures are fiscal year, inflation-adjusted calculations. Data for these licensees was aggregated and provided by Mark Fuerst, director, Public Media Futures, using the Annual Financial Reports submitted by each licensee to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). These results reflect the performance of the largest public radio news-station licensees initially selected in 2015 and thereafter tracked by Public Media Futures to estimate total system performance. One licensee was dropped from the analysis due to a format change, bringing the total to 123 (118 licensees plus five owners of 11 licensees). Previous years’ data was updated to reflect this new cohort.

Source: Public Media Futures, a project funded by the Wyncote Foundation.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER