The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster that provides educational programming to public television stations in the United States.
Media assets
350 member stations
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent Public (IP)
Ownership and governance
PBS is a non-profit organization whose highest governing body is a board of directors composed of 27 members. They are appointed by the PBS member stations. PBS has a total of 350 member television stations.
Source of funding and budget
PBS is funded through a combination of several sources, including member stations dues, donations from private companies and individuals, sales of broadcast rights as well as state funding channeled via Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private entity that disburses Congress funding to public media across the U.S. The funding model of PBS is anchored in diversity, none of the sources of financing being dominant, which is said to ensure the station’s sustainability and independence from external players. In 2020, PBS had a total income of nearly US$ 700m. The following year, its total income totalled some US$ 657m, according to a company financial report. In 2022, PBS had a total budget of US$ 669m, member assessments representing the largest contribution with US$ 203m, according to a company report.
Editorial independence
There are no rules imposed by the American government on PBS. The station has not been accused and no evidence has been found to date of political interference in its programming.
PBS has an internal set of rules that establish its editorial independence known as PBS Editorial Standards and Practices.
PBS has a PBS Public Editor, an office that receives comments and feedback from the general public and has a mission to address the issues raised by the public with the PBS’ management.
August 2023