Federal funding FAQs

Three things to know about public media and WDET federal funding: 

• Public media reaches 99% of the U.S. population and serves millions of Americans every day. 

• 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. 

• In 2025, WDET’s direct CPB grant is almost $300,000, and we receive additional shared services valued at over $200,000 for collaborative things like the satellite system WDET needs to bring you programming like Morning Edition and All Things Considered.  This same shared satellite system allows WDET to distribute Detroit stories to  the nation. And, we are a part of the Emergency Alert System to protect lives and the safety of our community. In total, we would need over $515,000 to replace lost CPB funding. Learn more at Protect My Public Media. 

What is the CPB’s role in public broadcasting? 

The CPB is distinct from NPR. It is not a broadcaster, but an independent, nonprofit organization created by Congress in 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 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 receives some direct funding  from the CPB.  Most CPB funding goes directly to local stations so they can decide how best to program for their communities. 

How much of WDET’s funding comes from CPB? 

Approximately 6 percent of our 2025 budget or about $300,000 comes directly to WDET in the form of our Community Service Grant.  Additionally,  approximately r $230,000 more covers services we share but are not direct dollars to the station. The amount of our Community Service Grant is calculated using a complex 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.  The amount fluctuates a bit every year, but it is always our largest grant.  

The breakdown of our funding is as follows 

For WDET Fiscal Year 2025, WDET exoects to spend $$5,254,731. Revenue to match expenses is expected as follows: 

• Business Support (underwriting, sponsorships, digital ads)$900,000/17% 

• Listener Members $2,500,000 or 50% 

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (federal funding) $290,384/6% 

• Wayne State University $202,000/3 % 

• Other grants (non-federal): $104,000/2% 

• Special Events $200,000/4% 

• Earned Revenue and Other $600,000/ 11 % 

• Endowment proceeds $7,200/.1 % 

Support from local listeners and local businesses accounts for over half of our revenue annually.  

What would happen if WDET lost CPB funding? 

WDET would seek to raise the direct and indirect funding in lost CPB direct and indirect service funding from members, sponsors and underwriters and but the loss of federal funding would very likely result in immediate and significant impacts on our ability to provide essential services, including the production of local and regional news and music programming, our ability to purchase national programming, maintain broadcast infrastructure and our membership in collaborations. Since 70% of our expenses are people, we would be forced to cut jobs. 

How is NPR and public radio unique compared to commercial media? 

NPR and public radio prioritize educational, unbiased, and community-focused programming, free from the influence of advertisers. This ensures a focus on public service rather than profit. The tenets of public media do not allow WDET  to run traditional advertising that you would hear on commercial radio and so this is not an acceptable revenue stream for WDE. 

What financial challenges does WDET currently face? 

Like many organizations, WDET faces significant financial pressures from rising costs of living for our staff, increasing programming costs, and ongoing equipment maintenance and replacement needs. Unfortunately, membership and underwriting revenue have not kept pace with these increases. The potential loss of federal funding would compound these challenges at an already difficult time, requiring us to either find significant new revenue sources or make cuts to our programming and services. 

Who does WDET serve? 

WDET reaches an estimated 200,000 people each week through terrestrial and digital broadcasts.  Terrestrial listeners are located across our broadcast coverage area, serving counties throughout southeast Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, Canada. Our digital signal and streaming services are utilized by people in every state in the USA and in at least 42 international countries at last count. Our station currently employs 67 full-time and part-time staff, trains up to 40 paid interns annually and receives support from 45  volunteers for teh Detroit Radio Information Service (DRIS) which offers reading of printed matter to individuals who are blind, print-impaired or socially isolated.  As part of our public service mandate, WDET has services for our entire community through Detroit Public Radio. 

What role does WDET play in public safety? 

WDET is a critical part of the nation’s civil defense and public safety infrastructure. In 2024, WDET issued x alerts for weather emergencies and public safety notices. During severe weather events, such as tornadoes, ice storms and flash floods, our emergency information services reached an estimated x listeners, with emergency management officials citing our coverage as critical to public safety and preparedness.  

How does WDET serve the Wayne State University and its students? 

WDET is perfectly aligned with Wayne State University’s mission to create and advance knowledge, prepare students to thrive and postively impact local and global communities.  WDET does this in ways that are entertaining, informative and ways that directly engage the community while at the same time creating community. When it comes to preparing students to thrive, WDET provides valuable training opportunities for students interested in careers in journalism, broadcasting and media production. We offer internships and hands-on experience that allow students to develop professional skills in a real-world environment. Many former WDET student interns have gone on to successful careers in public media and other news organizations. This educational mission is central to our service and aligns with the University’s commitment to college-to-career experiential learning. 

WDET is a community service of Wayne State University providing a connection to external constituencies and the community as a whole through its news, arts and cultural programs. 

Does the public support funding for public media? 

Yes. A recent Pew Research Center survey shows Americans are twice as likely to support as oppose continued funding for NPR and PBS. This strong support crosses political lines, with people from diverse communities recognizing the value of non-commercial, educational media that serves local needs. For just $1.60 per American per year, public media provides trusted journalism, educational content and emergency information without paywalls or commercial influence. 

WDET’s own annual listener surveys show that they appreciate the local and national news, music and connection to the Detroit community that WDET provides.

Who can I contact if I have additional questions? 

If you have any questions about this situation or how you can help, please contact our General Manager, Mary Zatina at mary.zatina@wdet.org