The Future of Non-Profit Television in the Digital Era

The majority of television networks’ revenue comes from different forms of advertising while non-profit public broadcast stations who compete for audiences with all other broadcasters must develop different revenue models. In addition the recessionary economy and funding cuts to public television that happened in 2009 hurt non-profit stations that primarily get their support from the government donations and membership dues. Poor financial conditions in the media industry are even harder to work with in the modern era; new media technologies are growing at a rapid rate and without money to invest in new media developments a station cannot evolve along with trends. One approach to a new non-commercial revenue model for public television has been attempted. It is an educational documentary style niche program strategy. A participant-observer study has been conducted of Z TV a non-profit public television station located in a Big City in the United States. This study reports the findings of this study.