While media technology has advanced in the 35 years since public broadcasting was created, the need has only grown for noncommercial, not-for-profit media, available free to the public with a mission to inform, educate, inspire and engage.

Public media includes more than just PBS and NPR. The term refers to all media outlets and formats whose mission is to serve the public, not to earn a profit. This noncommercial sector aims to educate, engage and inform audiences, and it offers an alternative to the mainstream, commercial media.

Public media includes:

• Community radio: stations that provide local coverage that's not available anywhere else;
• Low Power FM: local, nonprofit radio stations that operate at 100 watts or less and have a broadcast reach of only a few miles;
• Public access TV: channels that are used for public access, governmental or educational purposes, and one of the few broadcast venues open to average Americans;
• Independent publications: small-circulation magazines, newspapers and publishers;
• Satellite TV: Viewer-supported channels offering alternative programming;
• Internet: Soon any Web site or blog could have the reach of a TV or radio station, presenting a potentially revolutionary new outlet for public media.

Public media perform an essential service. LPFM and community radio stations provide information and perspectives often ignored by traditional radio. Public access TV channels allow citizens to watch their local governments in action and offer a valuable platform for free speech. Independent publications enrich our public dialogue by producing a vast range of news, information and opinion.

Public Media Under Threat

Despite their value, public media are under constant threat. They are chronically underfunded and under assault by lawmakers who would silence critical voices and cripple alternatives to the commercial media. Statewide franchising laws for cable television threaten to eliminate local public access channels, and recent postal rate hikes endanger the viability of independent publications.

We must look beyond short-term fixes. We need vibrant and sustainable public media that offer diverse fare, meet the needs of local communities and serve the public interest. And we need to ensure a steady stream of funding to protect public media from the whims of Washington.

Learn more about efforts by Free Press to protect public media »

Join the fight for Low Power FM radio »