Pledge dollars were down 26 percent in March for public TV statio...
Pledge dollars were down 26 percent in March for public TV stations, PBS Chief Financial Officer Barbara Landes told the system’s finance committee Monday. The gap between this year’s fundraising and last year’s is worsening, she said: In December,…
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pledges were down 20 percent. Stations finances are affecting PBS and could affect producers. Dues collection is about 4 percent behind where it was in March 2007, Landes said, although collection has improved since December, when it was 8 percent behind. The watch list of at-risk stations is growing, she said. The National Programming Service dues are fully committed, Landes said. PBS typically commits millions to producers July 1, she said, though the dues don’t come in until November, when stations receive federal money. Landes said she expects to receive more requests for deferrals and late fee waivers. PBS doesn’t waive dues or late fees, Landes said. The service’s investment portfolio is also down significantly, she said, but because of cost-cutting measures in the second quarter, she expects that PBS will break even for fiscal 2009.