I've got to figure out where I fit. The potential benefits are still being explored and any vote is a long way off, Mr. Lewis said. Skeptics say a merger is unlikely because of the potential culture clash between PRI's entrepreneurism and NPR's centralization. Its 591 members pay fees for 400 hours of programming weekly, most of it created by local stations. The distributor pays the producer a licensing fee, based on the number of stations that carry the show, and solicits corporate underwriters, public radio's equivalent of advertising.
Stations pay for programs based on the size of their market.
Its two self-produced trademark shows consume 40 percent of NPR's budget. In a commercial talk radio, on average six minutes of each half-hour are sold to advertisers. The show's content is so appealing to businesses that some stations, like KPBS-FM in San Diego, run the program three times a day. The revenue we bring in at 3 and 6 more than covers the cost of the program. The rest is from station payments, foundations and in-kind services, he said.