Public Broadcasting Service EIN 52-0899215 Form 990 (PDF) Claim this org

Public Broadcasting Service

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Provides high-quality educational and entertaining media programming, digital services, and administrative support to its network of public television stations nationwide. For fiscal year 2024 it reported $696.6M in revenue, $584.5M in expenses, and $519.2M in net assets.Pt I

Founded
1969
Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Arts & Culture
Location
Arlington, VA
Website
www.pbs.org
Filings
5 on file (2020–2024)
Revenue
$696.6MFY2024
Expenses
$584.5M
Net assets
$519.2M
People
44
Filings
5
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  52-0899215 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Arlington, VA Founded 1969
Form 990 (PDF)
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 7/4/26 · see original: IRS
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Size
$100M+
What they do
Provides high-quality educational and entertaining media programming, digital services, and administrative support to its network of public television stations nationwide.
Leadership
Paula a Kerger · President & CEO · $1.5M
Money in and out
$696.6M revenue, $584.5M expenses
Bottom line
92% program efficiency
Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$696.6M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$584.5M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$519.2M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $112.1M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.92 Management & general $0.08 Fundraising $0.00
Program efficiency
92%
of spending reaches programs-0.3% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
13.2mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +36% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+16%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ ×12 vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$696.6M
FY2024▲ +25%
Expenses
$584.5M
FY2024▲ +6%
Total assets
$752.8M
FY2024▲ +15%
Total liabilities
$233.6M
FY2024+0.2%
Total revenue
$696.6M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$584.5M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$519.2M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$112.1M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$752.8M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B92%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 325
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 424

Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CPublic Broadcasting Service
EINHdr · item D52-0899215
Principal addressHdr · item CArlington, VA
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.pbs.org
Year of formationHdr · item L1969
State of legal domicileHdr · item MVA
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFArts & Culture (A320)
Ruling yearIRS BMFDec 1970

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a25
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b24
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
President & CEO
$1,471,435Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Operating Officer
$768,991Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Digital & Marketing Officer
$646,467Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
$546,975Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Technology Officer
$536,431Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
$521,596Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Programming Executive & Gm, General Audience Programming
$477,856Pt VII · Sec A
SVP, Corporate Communications
$427,876Pt VII · Sec A

Paula a Kerger’s $1.5M as President & CEO is at the 87th percentile of top reported officer pay among 53 $100M+ arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Paula a Kerger$1,471,435$1,162,720
Paula a Kerger$1,055,135$1,036,271$963,099$1,223,171
Jonathan Barzilay$768,991$749,457
Jonathan Barzilay$685,206$675,500$611,670$614,025
Ira Rubenstein$646,467$607,379
Ira Rubenstein$548,264$459,843$455,998$461,879
Katherine Lauderdale$546,975
Katherine S Lauderdale$539,389

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $529.6M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

Content and Promotion

A core function under PBS'S mission as a multi-platform media organization and represents costs associated with the diverse content offered to its 151-MEMBER public television licensees. PBS'S wide array of content expands the minds of children, includes documentaries that enlighten the public on new worlds, non-commercialized news…

$435.7Mprogram expense
02

Distribution and Information Technology

Represents network, media, and satellite operation centers handling, technical evaluation, and other pre-transmission processing of all program video; program origination transmission including operational support for news and other live event coverage, and the scheduling and logging of all satellite feeds.

$76.9Mprogram expense
03

Member Services

Represents services provided to PBS'S member stations, including digital products and services, development, and copyright administration.

$17.0Mprogram expense

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$381.6M · 55%
Program service revenue$245.1M · 35%
Other revenue$52.2M · 7%
Investment income$17.7M · 3%
Contributions & grants55%$381.6M
Program service revenue35%$245.1M
Other revenue7%$52.2M
Investment income3%$17.7M
— government grantsLn 1e$15.4M
Total revenueLn 12$696.6M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.92 Management & general $0.08 Fundraising $0.00
Program services92%$538.1M
Management & general8%$46.4M
Fundraising$51K
Total functional expensesLn 25$584.5M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$197.9M
Total assetsLn 16$752.8M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$233.6M
Total net assetsLn 32$519.2M
Months of cash on handcomputed4.1

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2024 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $455.4M · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $584.5M · Less non-cash grants $171.2M · Cash operating expenses/yr $413.3M
13.2 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $538.1M · Total expenses $584.5M
92%
Management & General
Management & general $46.4M · Total expenses $584.5M
8%
Fundraising
Fundraising $51K · Total expenses $584.5M
<0.01%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $113K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $289.0M
$0.00 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $381.6M · Total revenue $696.6M
55%
Government reliance
Government grants $15.4M · Total revenue $696.6M
2%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $245.1M · Total revenue $696.6M
35%
Investment reliance
Investment income $17.7M · Total revenue $696.6M
+3%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $245.1M · Total expenses $584.5M
42%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $696.6M · Prior year $558.2M
+25%
Revenue CAGR
FY2019 $550.5M · FY2024 $696.6M
+5%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $519.2M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $696.6M · Expenses $584.5M
+16%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $752.8M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $519.2M · Total assets $752.8M
69%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $159.7M · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) $97.8M · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $752.8M
34%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Paula a Kerger · Reported title President & CEO · Highest reported compensation $1.5M · Total expenses $584.5M
0.3%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $108.3M · Total expenses $584.5M
19%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 92%
Overhead ratio 8%
Fundraising cost ratio 0.01%
Revenue growth 25%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
See all 4 funders →
Grants paid · 398 grants · $46.3M · 2019–2024
PBS FoundationVA · FY2024$5,836,076
Second Peninsula LLCFY2024$150,200
Firelight Media INCNY · FY2024$146,976
Wgbh Educational FoundationMA · FY2024$144,913
Balance Productions LLCFY2024$119,200
WnetwliwNY · FY2024$110,300
University of UtahUT · FY2024$104,389
Univ of Georgia Research Fdn INCFY2024$56,513
Univ of North Carolina Ctr for Pub Tv theFY2024$45,000
Rhode Island PBSRI · FY2024$45,000
Whyy INCPA · FY2024$45,000
Wtci-PbsTN · FY2024$25,000
See all 398 grants →

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024$558.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$544.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$543.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$502.1M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$550.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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