Today, Congress approved increased federal funding for public media, which will strengthen more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations across the country.

The President is expected to sign the appropriations package into law shortly.

The final legislation provides:

• Increased federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). CPB distributes the majority of federal funding to local public radio and television stations to support their local public services.
• More resources for Interconnection, public media’s distribution network that enables you to receive public media’s programming and emergency communications.
• More funding for the Next Generation Warning System, which invests in the local station infrastructure that distributes emergency alerts and warnings.
• Increased support for Ready To Learn, which supports the creation of educational media, resources and outreach targeted to children ages 2-8, particularly from underserved areas.

This is a huge victory for our stations, our movement, and the Americans who depend on public media.

There is so much for us to be proud of this year. Our grassroots network’s response to our calls to action were overwhelming. From making calls, sending emails, and telling personal public media stories, this outreach helped ensure Congress continued to make critical investments in public media stations.

In January, our work to educate and advocate for federal funding with the new Congress will begin.

We’re energized by this win and excited to build on our momentum next year.