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Court settlement calls for NPR to get $36M to operate US public radio system

124 points by geox

by mikeyouse

1 subcomments

The system in question is actually pretty interesting from a tech standpoint;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Radio_Satellite_System
> In 2007, the SOSS was retired for the newest and current system of the PRSS, the ContentDepot. The ContentDepot no longer uses linear feeds of SCPC-based digital audio bitstreams like the SOSS. Instead, it uses a dedicated TCP/IP-based one-way connection uplinked via satellite from PRSS, which is received by a storage receiver (a combination satellite data receiver & file server) manufactured by International Datacasting [5]. Program feeds are requested and set up at a special internet-accessible web site (known as the ContentDepot Portal) that member stations can log on to, where they can subscribe to specific programs and live feeds. The subscribed programs are then delivered via satellite as a file transfer to the storage receiver in the form of MP2-encoded ACM-based WAV files, which then can be imported into a station's automation and/or playback system.
> Live feeds are sent in the ContentDepot system as streaming MP2 audio, sent over the same satellite transponder, but as an IP multicast stream (as opposed to a file transfer for pre-recorded programs) which is decoded by a special streaming audio receiver (called a stream decoder) set to the IP multicast addresses assigned for live audio streams on the satellite transponder used by ContentDepot.
> The newest generation of ContentDepot hardware for the PRSS, as of 2014 and also manufactured by International Datacasting, is a special version custom-manufactured for PRSS of their commercially available "Superflex Pro Audio" receiver. It combines both the stream decoder for live programming and storage receiver for pre-recorded programming in one rack-mounted system, in previous comparison to separate units for live decoding and program storage respectively with the introduction of ContentDepot.
> Some components of the previous SOSS still are in use in the ContentDepot era: one of the ABR-700 demods (as well as the downconverter) is still used by NPR as a "squawk box" for verbal announcements regarding programming to NPR stations

by jrochkind1

1 subcomments

Note that the CPB probably won't exist anymore in three years, for next renewal.
And because of congressional action not executive, so probably legal.
> The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the conduit for federal funds to NPR and PBS, announced on Friday that it is beginning to wind down its operations given President Trump has signed a law clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027.
> The announcement follows a largely party-line vote last month that approved the cuts to public broadcasting as part of a $9 billion rescissions package requested by the White House that also included cuts to foreign aid. While public media officials had held a glimmer of hope that lawmakers would restore some of the money for the following budget year, the Senate Appropriations Committee declined to do that on Thursday.
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/01/nx-s1-5489808/cpb-shut-down-p...

by giancarlostoro

9 subcomments

Call me ignorant but isn't it drastically cheaper to run an internet radio station? Then let others, including other radio stations repeat your internet stream over radio. I'm genuinely curious.

by exabrial

1 subcomments

How on earth does it cost this much?? This could be done for like $5k/month on even the most expensive of AWS setups if you weren't pinching pennies.

by MarsIronPI

3 subcomments

[flagged]

by JadoJodo

3 subcomments

As someone who grew up hearing pledge drives every few months on (ad-free) Christian radio: Would that be an option to fund NPR? Surely those who want to listen/watch/support would donate regularly.