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With fewer government dollars, they're scrambling to find more corporate and individual support. Times keep getting tighter for public broadcasting stations, but locally, they seem to be at least holding their own.
Public broadcasting runs on funds from five main sources: the federal government, state government, corporations, individuals and foundations.
The federal portion of the pie "has been shrinking basically since Ronald Reagan became president," said Robert Fortner, communications professor at Calvin College. "Probably over the last decade, it's dropped in half, and that's meant an increased dependence on a scramble for foundation money and corporate support and fund drives (for listener and viewer gifts)."
Typically, 19 to 20 percent of a public station's funding comes from the government, Fortner said. Local stations WGVU/WGVK-TV and WGVU-FM's percentage is about 15 percent.
State funds have been cut, too. Until this year, public stations in Michigan received money through the Department of Commerce. Joel Seguine, station manager at WUOM/WVGR in Ann Arbor, said his station's share was $11,000 last year--money it no longer receives. "We used that primarily to pay for our share of (fees for) the Michigan Public Radio Network, a consortium set up (to provide) coverage in Lansing," he said.
Locally WGVU/WGVK took a much bigger hit when the state funding was cut. General Manager Michael Walenta said the station used to get $44,000 from the state. Though that amount isn't a huge percentage of the station's $3 million budget, losing the funding has left a hole which must be filled.
Michigan is unusual in that it does provide a tax credit for individuals contributing to public broadcasting, Walenta noted.
State funding for higher education also affects public radio and TV stations, many of which are connected to universities. WUOM/WVGR relies on the University of Michigan--where it is located--for about one third of its $1.4 million budget. And Seguine said his sources say "we're looking at a no increase for...