Politico assesses funding realities for public radio under new NPR prez

NPR's choice of Gary Knell as its next c.e.o. signals that the biggest challenges ahead for public radio are all about funding, not journalism, according to Politico's Oct. 9 story on the appointment. By hiring the president of Sesame Workshop, the NPR Board went for a leader with "a long history of both defending the federal funding of public media and raising money," writes reporter Keach Hagey, who explores whether public radio would be better off without the congressional subsidies it receives through CPB.

Hagey quotes Jeff Jarvis, journalism professor and author who advocates for an end to congressional appropriations, even though the change would jeopardize small stations that rely heavily on federal aid. “The bottom line on the stations is they are as doomed as newspapers,” Jarvis said.