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Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
February 2, 1999

Listener Access 2000

Unanimously

WHEREAS,

The Board acknowledges that, under the provisions of the Public Broadcasting Act, CPB makes grants to eligible public radio stations in a manner intended to provide for the financial needs and requirements of stations in relation to the communities and audiences they serve, and to maintain existing, and stimulate new sources of non-Federal support for stations;

WHEREAS,

Public radio stations and Management believe that public radio should launch a major effort to increase the financial stability and public service capacity of licensees that serve rural listeners, advance public radio's long commitment to universal service, and encourage a greater equity in public radio services enjoyed by listeners in different kinds of communities;

WHEREAS,

Public radio and Management believe that is appropriate to commit significant new funding to grantees that serve very low population density areas but reach larger numbers of people through wide-area coverage or multiple transmitter systems;

WHEREAS,

Public radio and management agree that it is time to challenge public radio to find creative, sustainable ways of serving rural listeners by encouraging more efficient services, by stimulating new, multiple program streams, by achieving universal service, and by offering emergency funding to ensure that rural listeners are not at risk of losing access to a CPB-funded public radio signal through an annual Rural Listener Access Incentive Fund;

WHEREAS,

Public radio and Management believe that every public radio listener should benefit from FY 2000 appropriations increase;

WHEREAS,

Public radio and Management believe it appropriate to extend minority incentives to grantees in all radio station grant programs;

WHEREAS,

Public radio and Management support the notion that to preserve the principle of localism, no licensee's CPB station grant be allowed to exceed its reported nonfederal financial support;

WHEREAS,

Management has reviewed the extensive work of the CPB-appointed 1998 Station Grants Advisory Committee, has met with stations and their representation organizations at regional meetings, sent discussion papers to and invited comment from each public radio station, and engaged in an extensive online discussion of related issues; and

WHEREAS,

The 1998 Station Grants Advisory Committee and Management have recommended that the corporation modify various requirements of its multiple radio station grant programs;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

The CPB Board of directors hereby adopts Management's strategy and recommendation to establish performance measures for and to increase the financial stability of rural public radio stations, to strengthen public radio's approach to serving rural listeners in the broader context of the station grant programs, and to reaffirm public radio's ambition to achieve universal service, otherwise known as Listener Access 2000, dated January 15, 1999, which is incorporated by reference (attached).