To our valued community:
I wanted to provide more information and context regarding the recent news about the FCC’s investigation into NPR, PBS and Member stations like ours.
In a recent letter to the CEOs of NPR and PBS, Brendan Carr, the newly appointed Chairman of the FCC, stated “I’m concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials.” Non-commercial broadcasters like us are allowed sponsorship spots — often called underwriting — that are held to strict federal guidelines including a restriction on “calls to action.”
Compliance with these regulations has always been central to our operations as a nonprofit public media organization. We remain fully committed to upholding these standards, providing on-air recognition to businesses that support local public media so we can deliver independent, trusted news and information, as well as music and cultural programming, that makes a positive impact in our community.
This investigation comes at a time when independent public media faces growing threats to funding and sustainability. In his letter, Carr included the comment “For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.” Federal funding for public media amounts to about 0.01% of overall federal spending.
Millions of Americans rely on the services of public media. CapRadio alone serves hundreds of thousands of listeners every week. At CapRadio, over 85% of our funding comes from community support, with 70% of our funding coming from individuals like you.
CapRadio operates in service of our community because of our members — those who value our public service programming and believe in our mission to create more informed, involved and educated communities. And with the ongoing support of our community, we will continue to deliver on our public service mission. We are committed to this.
Thank you for believing in the value that local public media brings to our community and empowering us to serve you every day — no matter the challenges ahead.
With gratitude,
Frank Maranzino
Interim President & General Manager
Ways to Take Action — Supporting CapRadio and Public Media
Additional Updates
February 3, 2025
NPR received a letter from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Chairwoman Greene states that the subcommittee is “planning a hearing on federally funded radio and television, including its systematically biased content.”
NPR issued the following statement: “Since its inception, NPR has collaborated with local nonprofit public media organizations to fill critical needs for news and information in America’s communities. We constantly strive to hold ourselves to the highest standards of journalism, as evidenced by our publicly available standards and ethics guidelines, the presence of a Public Editor — a position relinquished by all other major news organizations — that allows the public to inquire directly about NPR’s journalism, and strong editorial processes that provide oversight of the entire news gathering process, including a final review of the nearly 2,000 pieces of journalism aired or published by our newsroom every month.”
January 31, 2025
NPR was instructed, via a Department of Defense memorandum to the Pentagon Press Association, to vacate its designated workspace in the Pentagon effective February 14, 2025.
NPR issued the following statement, which is posted to NPR.org:
“More than 40 million Americans depend on NPR for daily news about their communities and the world. This decision interferes with the ability of millions of Americans to directly hear from Pentagon leadership, and with NPR's public interest mission to serve Americans who turn to our network of local public media stations in all 50 states.
NPR will continue to report with vigor and integrity on the transformation this Administration has promised to deliver. NPR urges the Pentagon to expand the offices available to press within the building so that all outlets covering the Pentagon receive equal access.”
January 30, 2025
NPR and PBS received a letter from the FCC stating its intention to open an investigation into the broadcasting of sponsorship messages across Member stations. You can learn more about this story here.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher issued the following statement: “NPR programming and underwriting messaging complies with federal regulations, including the FCC guidelines on underwriting messages for noncommercial educational broadcasters, and Member stations are expected to be in compliance as well. We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules. We have worked for decades with the FCC in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming, and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States.
