Public Radio Cuts proposed in USA

The Bush Administration's final budget proposal for National Public Radio will mean a 60% cut to member stations, dropping NPR's federal subsidy to US$200 million for 2009 and $220 million for 2010. NPR says the cuts are "significantly deeper" than in past years when pubcasters successfully lobbied the public to put pressure on lawmakers - and restore their funding (via Inside Radio).

This puts the subsidy for NPR well below what some larger European countries spend on public radio, for a population of 301 million.