from the KQED website: The majority of our funding comes from donations from members of the community like you, followed by grants, endowments and bequests. We also receive some funds from businesses and nonprofit organizations through sponsorships. Less than 10% of our revenue comes from the federal government through annual grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Agreed Rich, KQED does very few of their own shows. Those cost money. Instead we get the syndicated shows and 5 year old British Broadcasting Co travelogues. Rick Steves’ shows are all fine and dandy - but how many times should I watch “Festivals of Europe”? What happened to KTEH? To KCSM? KRCB is not the same. These educational stations made KQED improve their game.
Rich, while I fully agree that a deeper review of KQED’s finances is warranted, when you discuss this subject I encourage you to provide more specificity and details, all of which are publicly available.
Some brief research and I located KQED’s 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 IRS 990 forms.
I. TOTAL REVENUE 2019: $121.4 millon 2020: $103.4 million 2021: $115.8 million 2022: $109.6 million
II. Contributions and grants specifically (% of total revenue) 2019: $93.3 millon (76.8%) 2020: $82.4 million (79.7%) 2021: $98.5 million (85.1%) 2022: $88.9 million (81.1%)
III. TOTAL EXPENSES 2019: $89.4 million 2020: $95.5 million 2021: $91.9 million 2022: $91.1 million
IV. TOTAL SALARY: 2019: $49.6 million (565 employees - $87.7k per employee) 2020: $51.9 million (599 employees - $86.6k per employee) 2021: $50.1 million (535 employees - $93.6k per employee) 2022: $53.3 million (568 employees - $93.8k per employee)
V. TOTAL leftover when you subtract TOTAL SALARY from TOTAL REVENUE 2019: $71.8 million 2020: $51.5 million 2021: $65.7 million 2022: $56.3 million
I have so many questions, including: 1. 568 employees?! Is this normal for a TV station that produces virtually no local programming. I’d like to know how this compares to KTVU, KNTV, KRON, KPIX, and KGO. 2. Section V. - So where is all this money going? (this is the money left over after they pay salary. The public filings just lump these together under ‘other expenses - with no detail or explanation’)
There may very well be fraud or cooking of the books going on and if there is, it's lumped under 'other expenses' - which each year range from $51 to $71 million.
follow up to my comment, some quick googling and I found this info which estimated annual revenue of local tv stations and their total headcount:
KRON - estimated annual revenue $41.3m with 183 employees KTVU - estimated annual revenue - $24m with 139 employees KPIX - estimated annual revenue $37.4m with 166 employees KNTV - estimated annual revenue $37m with 131 employees
Who knows the exact numbers but it's clear KQED is raking in 2-3x the amount of other local stations with 400+ more employees. Something doesn't add up. Rich, I'd encourage you to keep looking into this - there's definitely something odd going on with KQED's numbers...
At its peak the commercial stations didn’t have 568 employees and they sure as shit don’t have that now.
I’d have to guess most are P/T and do not get much in the way of benefits.
I’d also have to guess the vast vast majority of the spoils go to a handful of people in the executive suite. Even though they could die tomorrow and the station wouldn’t suffer.
Good Job doing the research !! I suggest we get Rollin Post, Belva Davis, Mel Wax to dig deeper. They’ll get to the bottom of this. And while they’re at it, maybe they can find out why the Oakland Hell’s Angels are not maintaining law and order in the area? Seems like when they were in charge these smash and grabs and shakedowns of small businesses were not being done by poorly raised kids. Just sayin’
Crazy analysis! To even suggest fraud or cooking the books is absurd "little one". Two points to be made. 1) They publish other financial reports beyond the Form 990 and they disclose over $ 60 million in programming cost. 2) they maintain a huge net asset (cash and investments on hand) of I think over $ 75 million. a "rainy day" fund if you will to weather bad economies. The important thing here is that, and I'm no fan of KQED, is they never insult me when asking for funds. They say please and tank you. Others (unnamed) do with an approach which feels like an ass chewing at times. I don't cotton to that BS.
It would be interesting to see how KQED's finances compare to other major market PBS stations, like WNET in New York, WGBH in Boston, and WETA in Washington. Those three stations either produce or sponsor programs that PBS airs nationally. Also, how much revenue does KQED take in for the commercials they air just before a program begins?
My initial comment is the impression that KQED does seem a bit top-heavy with the guys/gals in management get paid pretty well compared to the working staff who do the work. A general question in that I have heard they also syndicated the idea of "Check Please, Bay Area" to other PBS stations around the country and must have received some revenue from doing that too?
Red the IRS filings. People have sent them to yoLoys of detail on what comes in and what goes out..
ReplyDeletefrom the KQED website: The majority of our funding comes from donations from members of the community like you, followed by grants, endowments and bequests. We also receive some funds from businesses and nonprofit organizations through sponsorships. Less than 10% of our revenue comes from the federal government through annual grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Rich, KQED does very few of their own shows. Those cost money.
ReplyDeleteInstead we get the syndicated shows and 5 year old British Broadcasting Co travelogues.
Rick Steves’ shows are all fine and dandy - but how many times should I watch “Festivals of Europe”?
What happened to KTEH? To KCSM? KRCB is not the same. These educational stations made KQED improve their game.
Rich, while I fully agree that a deeper review of KQED’s finances is warranted, when you discuss this subject I encourage you to provide more specificity and details, all of which are publicly available.
ReplyDeleteSome brief research and I located KQED’s 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 IRS 990 forms.
I. TOTAL REVENUE
2019: $121.4 millon
2020: $103.4 million
2021: $115.8 million
2022: $109.6 million
II. Contributions and grants specifically (% of total revenue)
2019: $93.3 millon (76.8%)
2020: $82.4 million (79.7%)
2021: $98.5 million (85.1%)
2022: $88.9 million (81.1%)
III. TOTAL EXPENSES
2019: $89.4 million
2020: $95.5 million
2021: $91.9 million
2022: $91.1 million
IV. TOTAL SALARY:
2019: $49.6 million (565 employees - $87.7k per employee)
2020: $51.9 million (599 employees - $86.6k per employee)
2021: $50.1 million (535 employees - $93.6k per employee)
2022: $53.3 million (568 employees - $93.8k per employee)
V. TOTAL leftover when you subtract TOTAL SALARY from TOTAL REVENUE
2019: $71.8 million
2020: $51.5 million
2021: $65.7 million
2022: $56.3 million
I have so many questions, including:
1. 568 employees?! Is this normal for a TV station that produces virtually no local programming. I’d like to know how this compares to KTVU, KNTV, KRON, KPIX, and KGO.
2. Section V. - So where is all this money going? (this is the money left over after they pay salary. The public filings just lump these together under ‘other expenses - with no detail or explanation’)
There may very well be fraud or cooking of the books going on and if there is, it's lumped under 'other expenses' - which each year range from $51 to $71 million.
follow up to my comment, some quick googling and I found this info which estimated annual revenue of local tv stations and their total headcount:
DeleteKRON - estimated annual revenue $41.3m with 183 employees
KTVU - estimated annual revenue - $24m with 139 employees
KPIX - estimated annual revenue $37.4m with 166 employees
KNTV - estimated annual revenue $37m with 131 employees
Who knows the exact numbers but it's clear KQED is raking in 2-3x the amount of other local stations with 400+ more employees. Something doesn't add up. Rich, I'd encourage you to keep looking into this - there's definitely something odd going on with KQED's numbers...
At its peak the commercial stations didn’t have 568 employees and they sure as shit don’t have that now.
DeleteI’d have to guess most are P/T and do not get much in the way of benefits.
I’d also have to guess the vast vast majority of the spoils go to a handful of people in the executive suite. Even though they could die tomorrow and the station wouldn’t suffer.
Good Job doing the research !!
DeleteI suggest we get Rollin Post, Belva Davis, Mel Wax to dig deeper. They’ll get to the bottom of this. And while they’re at it, maybe they can find out why the Oakland Hell’s Angels are not maintaining law and order in the area? Seems like when they were in charge these smash and grabs and shakedowns of small businesses were not being done by poorly raised kids. Just sayin’
Crazy analysis! To even suggest fraud or cooking the books is absurd "little one". Two points to be made. 1) They publish other financial reports beyond the Form 990 and they disclose over $ 60 million in programming cost. 2) they maintain a huge net asset (cash and investments on hand) of I think over $ 75 million. a "rainy day" fund if you will to weather bad economies. The important thing here is that, and I'm no fan of KQED, is they never insult me when asking for funds. They say please and tank you. Others (unnamed) do with an approach which feels like an ass chewing at times. I don't cotton to that BS.
DeleteIt would be interesting to see how KQED's finances compare to other major market PBS stations, like WNET in New York, WGBH in Boston, and WETA in Washington. Those three stations either produce or sponsor programs that PBS airs nationally.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how much revenue does KQED take in for the commercials they air just before a program begins?
My initial comment is the impression that KQED does seem a bit top-heavy with the guys/gals in management get paid pretty well compared to the working staff who do the work. A general question in that I have heard they also syndicated the idea of "Check Please, Bay Area" to other PBS stations around the country and must have received some revenue from doing that too?
ReplyDelete