Public-Radio Stations Getting More and More Corporate Support

Public-radio stations are stepping up their efforts to get businesses to underwrite their programs, but they are alienating some of their most loyal listeners, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The radio stations now receive 18 percent of their revenue from businesses, compared with 11 percent from the federal government, the newspaper says, a big contrast from 1980, when almost a third of public radio stations’ funds came from the federal government and 8 percent came from from businesses.

While many listeners say the growth in underwriting credits doesn’t bother them, others are annoyed by what they see as the increased commercialization of public radio.

“I find myself so irritated at the lengthy public-service announcements,” one Boston listener says. “They’ve moved on and don’t need me anymore.”