Pressroom
For Immediate Release January 18, 2008
CPB Awards Major Grant to Public Media Election Collaboration
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded $1.3 million to a consortium of public media organizations to support multi-platform, system-wide public media coverage of Election 2008.
"This grant underscores CPB's support of innovative projects that move public radio and television into the digital future so they can help individuals better connect with their communities wherever they are," said Pat Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. "This ambitious project will provide us with new ways of looking at how we serve the public on existing and emerging media platforms. Public media will be America's source for comprehensive election coverage."
Led by National Public Radio, organizations participating include American Public Media, Capitol News Connection, KQED, PBS, Public Radio Exchange, Public Radio International/Public Interactive and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. The collaboration will also utilize the talents and resources of public radio and television stations and independent producers nationwide.
Listeners and viewers of public broadcasting will directly benefit from this collaboration with increased opportunities for civic engagement through user-contributed content and discussion and easier access to in-depth and extensive local and national public media election news coverage.
About CPB
CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,100 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.