Also, if you can, a donation would be most welcome. I’m doing this for free and your support would enable me to dedicate more time and resources to develop papers like this. Please ignore the suggestions - small sums are what really matter. Thank you, so very much! buymeacoffee.com/matthewjramsden

There’s much more to find out, I’d really encourage you to read a copy of the pre-released chapter here: www.matthewjramsden.com/assets/uploa...

Please repost this thread and share, so people can make up their own minds on this topic independently.

Otherwise, it is possible that Congress could remove the provision which distributes funds, but leave that provision in place. This would kill public service media. And that is censoring PSM’s actions because the government doesn’t like them. A First Amendment nightmare.

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 forbids advertising and commercial ventures (show advertising is different and discussed in another chapter), so by Congress defunding the independent nonprofit CPB who distributed funds to stations, they would have to function on donations and show sponsorship.

PSM in the US is funded by three distinct methods. Direct government funding from the state budget (which costs US taxpayers that $3.32 each per year), limited show sponsorship and donations. They are not run as a business.

However, the two primary public service media outlets - @pbs.org / @pbsnews.org and @NPR.org only fell by 9 percentage points, somewhat lower than their commercial competitors.

10 percentage points for @CBSNews and 12 percentage points for @NBCNews. @FoxNews fell by 13 points, meaning they now have more critics than people who trust their reporting.

The least affected domestically was @MSNBC, which fell by 9 percentage points.

According to an independent survey, trust in broadcast media has been on a downturn since 2020, with the only channel remaining at the same level of trust by its US viewers is BBC News.

Between 2020 and 2024, public trust fell by 14 percentage points for @CNN, (cont'd).

Meanwhile, public service media is accountable to the public. They have issues with marketing, have to continually distinguish themselves from a state media outlet and they can be politically slashed, as we’re seeing now. It’s also difficult to teach younger generations - “NPR is for granny”.

Right now, whilst most people rely on commercial broadcasting, they don’t owe anything to you. Their only obligation is to their shareholders, who want to make more money. Advertisers can threaten to pull funding if they disagree with certain reporting.

Canada’s CBC is mainly funded by the state budget (taxation), costing each Canadian taxpayer $36 USD each year.

There are, of course, faults within it (PSM, not CBC directly). Faults which could be fixed easily, with someone who has the knowledge and ability to effect real change.

In comparison to the rest of the world, the US has the cheapest mechanism, by far, in public money to pay for public service media in their country.

The UK charges each household for a TV Licence, currently standing at ~$224 USD per household per year, which gives them all live TV & iPlayer.

Now that the talks to defund PSM are on, here’s what you need to know about how it works in the US.

NOTE: I’m currently writing a paper on this, but unfortunately Congress has moved too quickly on that one. So I’m releasing Chapter One of the paper immediately.

Please share this survey with friends, family, or anyone in your network! The more voices, the better.

#PublicServiceMediaSurvey #BroadcastersFeedback #TVRadioSurvey #NPRListeners #PBSSupporters #MediaResearch #MediaAnalysis #SupportPublicBroadcasting #PublicMedia #PSM #Survey #NPR #PBS

📊I’m running a short survey open to all—whether you’re a regular listener, occasional viewer, or have strong views on public broadcasting. It takes just 3-5 minutes to complete (depending on your computer skills!)

Share your thoughts here: matthewjramsden.com/psmsurvey