By expanding into new frequencies and making better use of public radio stations in multiple-station markets, public radio will offer more programming choices, increase the range of content delivered to a community, and improve the accessibility of both existing and new content and services. This will increase public radio's public services and, in turn, the financial resources to support those services. A Foundation for the Future Of the many issues, challenges and opportunities facing public radio, one of the most critical is the question of delivery capacity how and where listeners will connect with public radio in the coming years. Stations are the connecting points between the well-developed national production entities and national programs and the public radio audience.
Stations are the local exchanges that offer a range of intelligent, engaging programs.
Stations are the primary source of revenues that support the public radio system. Development of this system of stations has been largely decentralized, driven by local needs, local institutions, and, often, single individuals. Although the Corporation for Public Broadcasting made targeted coverage expansion investments in the 1970s, the expansion of stations in markets and within regions for the past fifteen years has been more a result of individual initiative than coordinated national policy. The result is evident in dramatically different levels of station development. In contrast, both commercial and religious broadcasters have made a dramatic shift to large national group owners and national coordination of programming, marketing, sales and consolidation of administrative functions and financing.