National Public Radio (NPR) is an American media organization launched in 1970 to replace the National Educational Radio Network. It started broadcasting[1] a year later in 1971 and then merged with the Association of Public Radio Stations in 1977. NPR faced a significant financial crisis in 1983, which was resolved with a loan from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and a new funding arrangement. The organization operates independently from the government or corporations and is governed by a board of directors. NPR is funded through various sources, including member station dues, corporate underwriting, and grants. In addition to its radio broadcasting, NPR has also embraced technological advancements such as podcasting and podcast analytics technology[2].
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized as npr) is an American non-profit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national syndicator to a network of over 1,000 public radio stations in the United States. It differs from other non-profit membership media organizations, such as the Associated Press, in that it was established by an act of Congress.
Type | Public radio network |
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Country | United States |
First air date | April 20, 1971 |
Availability | Global |
Founded | February 26, 1970 |
Endowment | $322.7 million (2022) |
Revenue | $309.1 million (2022) |
$−7.18 million (2022) | |
Headquarters | |
Broadcast area |
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Parent | National Public Radio, Inc. |
Key people | Katherine Maher (CEO) |
Former names | |
Affiliation(s) | WRN Broadcast |
Official website | npr |
Funding for NPR comes from dues and fees paid by member stations, underwriting from corporate sponsors and annual grants from the publicly funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Most of its member stations are owned by non-profit organizations, including public school districts, colleges, and universities. NPR operates independently of any government or corporation, and has full control of its content.
NPR produces and distributes both news and cultural programming. The organization's flagship shows are two drive-time news broadcasts: Morning Edition and the afternoon All Things Considered, both carried by most NPR member stations, and among the most popular radio programs in the country. As of March 2018,[update] the drive-time programs attract an audience of 14.9 million and 14.7 million per week, respectively.
NPR manages the Public Radio Satellite System, which distributes its programs and other programming from independent producers and networks such as American Public Media and Public Radio Exchange, and which also acts as a primary entry point for the Emergency Alert System. Its content is also available on-demand online, on mobile networks, and in many cases, as podcasts. Several NPR stations also carry programs from British public broadcaster BBC World Service.