Research, Analytics & Consulting Solutions
Providing quality services to public television since 1979
We want to keep you updated on the most current information on the potential loss of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which will impact your local public television & radio stations. Earlier this week, it was widely reported that the administration attempted to remove three of the five CPB board members. In turn, the CPB sued the administration, contending that the President does not have the power to take these actions.
On Thursday, May 1, the administration went ahead with an anticipated executive order aimed at cutting funding for public broadcasters. CPB issued this statement in response on Friday.
While we do not know how this situation will resolve, we do know that a vote to eliminate all CPB funding already allocated for FY26 and FY27 is planned in the coming weeks. If enacted, this change will impact your local public television station’s budget beginning this October. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more details.
One step you can take right now is to urge Congress to protect funding by taking action at Protect My Public Media, an action network working to support local media. ​
​
PRODUCER TOOLS
Helvetica Light is an easy-to-read font, with tall and narrow letters, that works well on almost every site.
Carriage Service
Our carriage service leverages Xperi’s local and national listings data to track scheduled broadcasts of programs and series on each every public television outlet in the US. This is the information marketers and underwriters need to be assured of their decisions to support the program.
​
Updated daily, Carriage Reports include the percent coverage of the US as well as the date and time stations are carrying the show in question. Your subscription includes online access to graphical summary reports, lists of stations that have yet to air a program/series and data on stations that have picked up and/or dropped a program. The service also includes access to station-specific daily and/or weekly schedules. All the reports can be exported to Excel.
Performance and Projection Reports
Our Program Performance and Projection Reports summarize public television viewing of your program/series. Our reporting reflects carriage across all stations including CREATE, WORLD, PBS KIDS and other statewide, regional and locally-scheduled subchannels. Leveraging an affordable subset of Nielsen audience data, TRAC estimates national average audience (Nielsen household ratings), Gross Impressions across the total number of airdates (from our Carriage Service) and how a variety of Nielsen demographic subsets engaged with the program. For those sharing this information with sponsors and stakeholders, Performance Reports include ‘costs per mille’ or CPM which effectively translates to the cost per thousand impressions in any one demographic or across the entire audience.
Listings Online
Producers can help their viewers find local telecasts of a program by using this website tool. This service allows visitors to your program’s website to type in a zip code to find information on when a particular show will air in their area. Data provided will cover two weeks of advance schedule information.
Ratings for Producers and Distributors
Of course TRAC provides numbers, but it’s providing the meaning behind the numbers that makes our service stand out. When you have a question, no matter how big or small, we can answer it. Whether you are seeking to understand Nielsen ratings jargon, learn about how public television stations schedule programs and series or want to dig deep into audience viewing of your or a peer’s program/series, we can run the number for you.