The US:A Receives a Grant from CPB - The Cost of Doing Business

The Cost of Doing Business grant involves three basic components. A Cost:Benefit Module is the cornerstone of the proposal. It assigns dollar values to the operating costs of a traditional setting as compared to community-licensed settings. Through comparative data, this vehicle will allow managers to make more informed decisions about which model is most cost-effective for a given station. CPB requested that an element be included in the proposal whereby the U:SA will gather innovative governance models so that stations entertaining a governance change will have samples to reference and use as resources. The third element of the proposal is a Quantifiable Worth Statement – a mechanism for quantifying stations’ worth, a defensive measure in the face of pending budget cuts by licensees.

Fourteen Stations will participate in the Cost of Doing Business project. The U:SA is currently identifying those stations, along with the consultants who will lead the efforts. Ultimate approval of these choices will come from CPB. The U:SA is also working on a method to involve the entire university-licensed community in the grant process. This is being done for two reasons. The U:SA has been an inclusive initiative from the outset. Although all will benefit later from what is gained from the 14 stations’ involvement, we wish to develop a method so that all willing stations may participate.  Secondly, there is a wealth of wisdom and creativity among the managers in this system. Harnessing that wisdom will make for a richer and more comprehensive end product.

We will keep you posted on the project in 2006 at this web site.

--April, 2006