by Rick Kelly

Created on: September 13, 2008

There should be a better way for local Public Television Stations to raise money for programming other than telethons, but local stations have to raise a lot more money than viewers might think. The independent producers who make programs like Sesame Street, Nova, and Masterpiece Theater can charge your local station upwards of $50,000 or more for the yearly rights to air each program. Along with the cost of producing local shows, this leaves a Public Television Station with a programming budget which can exceed several million dollars, depending on what programming your local station orders. This doesn't include operational costs of the station, like salaries, facilities, and broadcast towers.

Of course, your local Public Television Station automatically receives federal and state funding, as well as additional grants that are written by the station. This money seems like it should be more than be enough to run a local television station, but since programming costs usually account for most of the station's budget, fiscal solvency for the station still depends on how much the producers of shows like This Old House decide to charge the stations to air the programs. As the production costs go up, the producers pass these costs on to the local stations, and the financial needs of the station rise above the government funding and the generous donations of viewers in the area. This leaves a local station that is on a shoe-string budget with two choices: cancel programming or raise more money.

Telemarketing, direct mailings, and e-mail blasts are expensive, and with a return rate of only 1-3%, don't produce much in the way of results. Local Public Television Stations have had some success with underwriting, which are paid advertisements from corporations that appear before and after the shows; but this money still isn't enough to buy all of the quality programming that viewers have come to expect from their local PBS affiliate. The only other place to turn for more money is to the people who are watching, which unfortunately means more televised pledge drives.

Believe it or not, many Public Television Stations hate doing pledge drives. I know this because I raised funds for a Public Television Station for two years. I know that there's nothing worse than interrupting a program to go on camera with a coffee mug in one hand and a tote bag in the other and start begging viewers for more money in order to buy their favorite shows. The members who have already graciously

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