Public radio receives some or all of its funding from the public, either from individuals through voluntary donations, a specific tax such as a television license fee, or as direct funding by the state. Many public radio programs are available for download as podcasts.
Public broadcasting may be nationally and/or locally operated, depending on the country and the station. In some countries, public broadcasting is dominated by a single organization (such as the BBC in the UK and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia) whose radio services broadcast throughout the country. However, some countries have multiple public broadcasting organizations operating regionally (such as in Germany) or in different languages. In the United States, public broadcasting stations are always locally licensed, but range from stations that mostly broadcast programming from national networks (such as National Public Radio (NPR)) to stations that broadcast only locally produced content.
Public radio broadcasters do not rely on advertising as a source of revenue to the same degree as commercial broadcasters, which allows public broadcasters to air programs such as public affairs shows, radio documentaries, educational programs, and other cultural fare that has social value but might not be supported by markets. .
