NPR is proposing a new dues structure for member stations, increasing fees on non-news shows by 3.5 percent

You might have heard: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is on a White House “hit list” for elimination, which would be “catastrophic” for the future of public broadcasting: “There is no substitute for federal support of public broadcasting, and that the loss of federal support would mean the end of public broadcasting,” a CPB-commissioned study by Booz Allen says (Nieman Lab)

But did you know: NPR’s board of directors is expected to vote today on a three-year plan to increase fees for all member stations. Under the plan, all stations would see an increase of 3.5 percent on non-news shows and other increases based on each station’s revenue. Tyler Falk explains that NPR is pursuing the fee increases “as part of a larger effort to define the future relationship between the network and its members”: It’s identified five initiatives to pursue in the next three years, including developing a national/local fundraising campaign, experimenting with digital fundraising, increasing collaboration between station-based journalists, reviewing NPR Digital Services’ offerings and fostering member stations’ digital work.