NPR reports ‘exceptional’ performance of digital revenue-sharing programs
Ted Eytan / via Creative Commons
NPR’s programs to help raise funds for public radio stations have exceeded expectations, network executives reported during a Friday board meeting.
The NPR Network revenue programs, which include donations to the NPR Network and to stations via NPR’s digital platforms and NPR+ podcast subscriptions, brought in north of $30 million in fiscal year 2025, exceeding a projection shared in September. Of that total, $18 million goes to NPR member organizations. National Public Media COO Bryan Moffett reported end-of-fiscal-year results during the meeting.
The revenues for stations include $9 million raised through NPR Network donations and subscriptions to individual podcasts via NPR+, nearly five times the total raised in FY24. Another $9.3 million was raised from direct donations to 143 stations from NPR platforms, up from $2 million in FY24, NPR CEO Katherine Maher said during her remarks to the board.
NPR shares half of the donations contributed to the NPR Network with stations and 20% of revenue earned from NPR+ podcast subscriptions. Stations will receive their share of the revenue in January.
Through the revenue-sharing program, 31 stations will receive distributions equal to their NPR 2025 membership fees, Maher said.
“NPR Network revenue programs have performed exceptionally well this year, far beyond what we’ve imagined previously,” Maher told the board.
She also pointed to $2.2 million from donors who specified a “direct pass-through to their preferred NPR member station” and $1.7 million in philanthropic gifts that benefit regional newsrooms.
Earlier this year, the NPR board approved $8 million in fee relief to stations due to the rescission of federal funds.
60% of the donors are new to public media, “which was the entire point of this program — bring new donors into the system,” Moffett said during his presentation.
The NPR Network initiative launched in 2022 with an aim of doubling station membership and total revenue.
The NPR Network revenue programs brought in a total of 375,000 active donors in FY25, with 100,000 going directly to stations, Moffett said. There were also 60,000 prospective donors for stations that don’t participate in the NPR Network audience revenue programs, which were sent to donation forms for those stations, he said.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that the NPR Network revenue programs brought in north of $18 million, but that amount is what goes to member stations. Total NPR Network revenues, including NPR’s share, topped $30 million. The earlier version incorrectly stated that the donations were made via the NPR.org donation page, but they were donations made across NPR’s digital platforms.
This is more or less a press release. Great to see these results. And also, they reflect the same kind of outsize performance so many stations have experienced in the wake of rescission. We need to see – and Current needs to report on – how good a job NPR (like stations) does in converting rage givers into steady supporters.