As you say Z, Public Radio cannot do the some of the same things commercial stations do, but there are other non-profit groups that survive without government funding such as the Christian operators. They have to manage purely with private support, so why can't NPR? While funding from the government may be seem small at around 1%, CPB/NPR/PBS is set to receive $535 million this year. In the grand scheme of the federal budget it may not be huge, but also not a small chunk of change. Just my take, and I also respect yours. Cheers!