Megyn Kelly is fed up with NPR and wants their government funding slashed like ‘Edward Scissorhands.’ She was on video talking about it with two guests and pointed out one specific example of why she’s unhappy with government money going to NPR.
Western Lensman pointed this out on X, sharing the Megyn Kelly video to go with it. Western Lensman said, “Megyn Kelly wants DOGE to “Go Edward Scissorhands On NPR” —”NPR gets almost $100 million of taxpayer money a year, that’s crazy.” There is ZERO reason for American taxpayers to keep funding this leftwing propaganda outlet posing as a non-partisan “news” organization. Kelly highlights a recent segment where “women are not the only ones who get periods. I don’t wish to fund that. I don’t wish to fund that message. It is not objective and it is not truthful.”
How much funding does NPR get from the government? In fiscal year 2023, NPR received less than 1% of its budget directly from federal sources. However, when considering indirect funding through member stations, NPR’s total federal funding amounts to around $8.2 million. This includes funds distributed by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to local public radio stations, which then pay NPR for programming.
The keyword in the paragraph above is “directly” because NPR is able to receive federal funds INDIRECTLY through other means. So, THERE’S A CATCH. The funding behind NPR is a lot more complex than many expected. A column on The Hill pointed this out in 2023:
NPR may receive little direct federal funding, but a good deal of its budget comprises federal funds that flow to it indirectly by federal law. Here’s how it works: Under the terms of the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act, funds are allocated annually to a non-governmental agency, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, overseen by a board of presidential appointees. That corporation, in turn, can choose to support original programming produced by public television or public radio — but, by law, must direct much of its $445 million funding (scheduled to top $500 million next fiscal year) to local public television and public radio stations across the country, via so-called “community service grants.”
Here’s where things get tricky. Local stations, if they want to broadcast “All Things Considered,” “Fresh Air” and other programming produced by NPR or competitors such as American Public Radio, must pay for it. Indeed, in its consolidated financial statement for 2021, NPR reported $90 million in revenue from “contracts from customers,” a significant portion of its $279 million and much more than 1 percent. Such revenue was exceeded only by corporate sponsorships, which totaled $121 million. One can think of these funds as federal grants that have been sent from Washington — but returned to it.
