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Together, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting blankets the country with free and accessible programs, regardless of population density, income, or geographic challenges.

At KUNC, these programs and services include the NPR national shows you rely on, like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as our local programming that connects you to our region such as In the NoCo, our award-winning news series, and podcasts like Thirst Gap and The Colorado Dream, as well as original programming on The Colorado Sound like , , and the great mix of Colorado music you hear every day.

Our public media services also include things you may not routinely consider, like critical emergency alerts during potential life-threatening weather. In our region alone, in 2024 we aired over 79 weather alerts, including tornado warnings, and eight child abduction emergency alerts across both of our services. Our KUNC reporters provide up-to-date information, critical resources, and messaging during natural hazards prone in Colorado like wildfires and floods.

What is CPB's role in public broadcasting?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a private 501[c]3 corporation created by Congress through the. CPB’s mission is to provide everyone with free, over-the-air access to local public media and to assist in expanding our services into the digital realm through grants and partnerships with other public media entities. The CPB is distinct from NPR and PBS and does not produce programming or own, operate, or manage any public media stations.

Today, CPB-funded public media reaches nearly 99% of the U.S. population. Nearly 42 million people listen to public radio programming each week across all platforms.

How is the CPB funded?

CPB receives federal funding from Congress two years in advance, per the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967; a system designed to provide a buffer between funding and changes in the political climate.

Why does KUNC and The Colorado Sound or any public station need federal funding?

Even though listener support makes up the bulk of our support, federal funding — which amounts to — makes public media possible.

CPB’s investment directly supports local, independent, non-profit stations like KUNC & The Colorado Sound across the country and enables them to provide essential programs and services. As we know from our , public media stations are sometimes the only local sources of news and local culture available.

The CPB also negotiates music licensing for all public stations — including The Colorado Sound — saving them millions in costs — and offers administrative support that enables stations to collaborate efficiently by sharing information, research and services in a cost-effective manner.

In a time where anyone can post their opinion to social media, journalism grounded in rigorous fact-checking is essential to inform decisions that affect our health and safety, our finances, our democracy, and our future.

Non-profit public media continues to provide a high level of service to communities while other local media outlets are shrinking or closing. Public media abides by to ensure our content cannot be influenced by commercial interests. Our mission is to serve you — the public.

What portion of KUNC and The Colorado Sound’s budget is reliant upon CPB funding?

For fiscal year 2025, the CPB will provide nearly $350,000 to our organization, about 5% of our budget.

We use 100% of our CPB grant to help cover the production and broadcasting costs of the local and national programs you hear on KUNC and The Colorado Sound daily.

What would happen if KUNC and The Colorado Sound lose CPB support?

We believe it is important to receive funding from diverse sources, including individual listeners, local businesses, foundations and the CPB. Losing CPB funds would have a noticeable effect on our ability to serve the community with our local news and music programming.

What can I do to support KUNC & The Colorado Sound?

The best way to support your local public media is bydonating. We thank you for your support!

A strong, diverse base of grassroots advocates is essential to ensuring the retention of federal funding. You can ask your Congressional representative to endorse annual federal funding for public media. Learn more at , a collaboration of local public radio and television stations, national distributors, producers, viewers, listeners and others who support a strong public media in the U.S.