At a time when corporate media are failing to inform the public, Free Press seeks to promote and expand the availability of nonprofit, non-commercial media.

This broad sector, which includes Low Power FM and community radio stations, public access TV, and small-circulation, independent publications, plays a vital role in our media landscape – and in our democracy.

Unlike commercial media, public media’s primary aim is to serve the public, not to earn a profit. Public media’s mission is to educate, engage and inform audiences, and it offers an essential alternative to the mainstream, commercial media.

The public media sector includes:

• Funding for Public Broadcasting: Among American institutions, public broadcasting ranks No. 1 in public trust. Yet public broadcasting is under constant assault by partisan opponents. Free Press supports secure, long-term funding for this vital public institution.

• Low Power FM Radio: Low Power FM Radio, or LPFM, radio refers to local, noncommercial stations with a broadcast reach of only a few miles. LPFM stations provide news, information and viewpoints often ignored by mainstream radio.

• PEG/Public Access TV: PEG channels are for public access, educational or governmental purposes. One of the few broadcast venues open to the general public, they allow citizens to watch local governments in action and offer a valuable platform for free speech.

• Postal Rates: The Postal Regulatory Commission voted in 2007 to drastically increase postal rates for independent periodicals. The proposed rate hike threatens the financial viability of these smaller publications, which are a critical source of political opinion in our democracy.

The Free Press policy team regularly meets with legislators on Capitol Hill to advocate for legislation to promote public media, and Free Press research and legal teams craft comments and file documents with the Federal Communications Commission, the federal agency that regulates media in the United States, on issues relating to public media.