KISU-FM Public Radio and CPB Funding

In fiscal year 2024, approximately one-quarter of KISU’s budget came from the CPB. That annual grant amount is calculated using a formula that takes into account our region’s population and how much funding we are able to raise locally from donations by individuals and support from small businesses and organizations. In addition to community service grants, CPB allows us to reduce costs on satellite connections, music rights and more. The loss of this funding has an estimated annual impact on our organization of almost $150,000.



CPB funding makes public media as you currently know it possible. The support enables us to provide all the best national programming. Federal funds support our core services and lay a foundation for local initiatives that enrich and strengthen our community in a variety of areas. CPB funds are equivalent to KISU’s entire annual programming budget.

Local news: KISU has been growing its local news efforts at a time when nearly all news organizations are declining in size. In addition to reporting on critical local issues, we are helping lead the effort to bring you stories from across the Mountain West through the Mountain West News Bureau. Our partnership with organizations like Boise State Public Radio allow us to share vital state-level information and reporting.

Music and the arts: KISU’s mixed format provides music and culture for many genres, like classical, jazz, and blues, that are unrepresented elsewhere on the radio. We are long-time promoter of the arts in East Idaho. We feature local artists and partner with other organizations like the Idaho State Civic Symphony, Idaho Falls Symphony, Idaho Humanities Council, City Club of Idaho Falls, and more.

Home for all ISU Football and Basketball: For more than 20 years, KISU has provided a home for ISU Women’s Basketball broadcasts in East Idaho and streaming live to ISU Alumni and fans throughout the world. KISU has been the outlet for all ISU Men’s Basketball and Football since 2019.

A champion for nonprofits: KISU airs more than 8000 messages for area nonprofit groups every year at no cost. We provide an avenue for these worthy organizations and efforts to reach the public about events and messages. Additionally, KISU regularly includes studio interviews that help explain the mission and activities of nonprofit organizations.

Feeding Curiosity and Building Community: KISU’s award-winning programs, like The Nature of Idaho and Sustainable Idaho connect us with places, ideas, and important issues in our communities and throughout the state. The stories and topics help us better understand issues, opportunities, and actions that impact our home. Our multimedia approach provides listeners and readers with the ability to connect with these stories on a number of platforms and provides a growing archive of content that accessible to all on the web.

Public Safety, Emergency Coverage and Essential Information: It is not uncommon for public media organizations to be the sole or primary source of emergency alerts and life-saving information in rural or remote areas. KISU frequently provides such alerts, and is the primary receiver for all national emergency messages to our region.


How can I help?

You can make your voice heard by you contact members of Congress to share your thoughts about public radio in Idaho. You can use the Important KISU Services listed listed above to help with your message if needed.

Click on (contact) next to the names below.

• Rep. Mike Simpson (contact)
• Rep. Russ Fulcher (contact)
• Sen. James Risch (contact)
• Sen. Mike Crapo (contact)

If you’re already a supporter, we say thank you. And if you’re not a current donor or can give more generously, now is an excellent time to start giving.

You can also visit ProtectMyPublicMedia.org for additional resources and ways to help.

Proudly share your support for public radio, and encourage your friends to support us, too. If you need a sticker to make your support visible, let us know at jamonanderson@isu.edu and we’ll send you some!

Five things to know about public media and federal funding:

1. Public media reaches nearly 99% of the United States, including the most remote communities, with high-quality, non-commercial programming and services every day.

2. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent nonprofit that distributes federal dollars (an average of $1.60 per American annually) to local stations. That money is used to invest in programming and services according to each community’s needs.

3. In 2024, approximately 25% of KISU’s funding came from CPB in the form of an annual community service grant. 

4. CPB funding allows public media stations to pool resources towards satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, music licensing and development of educational programs, all of which would be too expensive for stations to do on their own.

5. Cuts to federal funding would negatively impact the ability for stations across a rural network like ours to serve the people who need it most. In some rural areas, public radio is the only local source of news, weather, emergency alerts, and other critical information. Learn more at Protect My Public Media.


What is the CPB’s role in public broadcasting?

The CPB is distinct from NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, but a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting and to help fund programming, stations and technology.

Funding for the CPB is established through the federal budget annual appropriations process two years in advance with the intention of insulating funding from political pressures. Its total appropriation is currently over $500 million. The CPB is responsible for allocating its funds from the federal budget in any way that fulfills its mission: to ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial free and free of charge.

NPR and PBS don’t receive direct support from the CPB; the funding goes directly to local stations so they can decide how best to program for their communities. CPB has had bipartisan support for the past 50 years.