New York Laws
Part 1 - General Organization
236 - Public Television and Radio.

(1) The station shall be licensed to:
(i) an institution chartered by the board of regents; or
(ii) an agency of a municipal corporation; or
(iii) a corporation created in the state education department and
within the university of the state of New York.
(2) The station other than stations operated by corporations approved
for funding prior to April first, nineteen hundred eighty-five shall
have for a period of three consecutive years immediately prior to
apportionment of such money and all recipients shall continue to after
receipt of such money:
(i) broadcast at least eighteen hours per day or the maximum hours of
operation authorized by the federal communications commission, whichever
is less, three hundred sixty-five days per year; and
(ii) operate with a staff of at least five full-time members paid at
least the federal minimum wage, a budget that includes at least
ninety-five thousand dollars of non-federal income of which a reasonable
portion is received from local business, foundations, or individual
contributors paid either directly to the radio station or broadcast
corporation or to a not-for-profit corporation for the benefit of such
radio station and an effective radiated power equivalent to three
thousand watts at five hundred feet above average terrain or the maximum
tower height authorized by the federal communications commission,
whichever is less for FM radio stations or two hundred fifty watts for
AM radio stations.
g. At such time that assistance authorized by paragraph a of this
subdivision exceeds the sum appropriated in state fiscal year nineteen
hundred ninety--nineteen hundred ninety-one, there shall be apportioned
as assistance for approved operating expenses of New York city-licensed
WNYC-TV, for each three hundred sixty-five hours of public service
programming broadcast by such station annually, an amount equal to one
percent of that portion of public television assistance for approved
operating expenses which represents the increment above the level
appropriated in state fiscal year nineteen hundred ninety--nineteen
hundred ninety-one; provided, however, that the total apportionment to
WNYC-TV shall not exceed ten percent of such incremental assistance over
such nineteen hundred ninety--nineteen hundred ninety-one level.

Notwithstanding any provision of this paragraph to the contrary, such
funding for WNYC-TV shall not diminish the amount of state aid received
by the nine public television corporations pursuant to paragraph a of
this subdivision in state fiscal year nineteen hundred ninety--nineteen
hundred ninety-one. For the purposes of this subdivision, "public
service programming" shall be defined as non-commercial cultural,
instructional or educational programming. In order to qualify for
assistance under this subdivision, the minimum hours of non-commercial
public service programming, shall be eight hours daily and shall include
three hours daily of prime time service, which is defined as service
between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Non-commercial public
service programming, other than prime time, shall be broadcast in blocks
of not less than one hundred twenty minutes. All funds so apportioned
shall be used for non-commercial public service television broadcast
activities. WNYC-TV shall render a report to the commissioner not later
than December first of each year such funds are appropriated upon the
use of such appropriation, and shall furnish such other reports and
information relating to such funds as the commissioner may from time to
time require. Funds appropriated pursuant to this subdivision shall not
be used for partisan or political purposes or to influence the enactment
of legislation.
h. There shall be apportioned, at such time that any appropriation
exceeds the sum appropriated in state fiscal year nineteen hundred
ninety--nineteen hundred ninety-one for approved capital expenses of
educational television corporations and public radio stations, as
provided in paragraph c of this subdivision, an amount to New York
city-licensed WNYC-TV. Notwithstanding any provisions of this paragraph
to the contrary, such funding shall not diminish the amount of state
aid, for capital purposes, that the nine public television corporations
and fifteen public radio stations received in state fiscal year nineteen
hundred ninety--nineteen hundred ninety-one. WNYC-TV shall render a
report to the commissioner not later than December first of each year
such funds are appropriated upon the use of funds apportioned pursuant
to this paragraph, and shall furnish such other reports and information
relating to such funds as the commissioner may require.
5. Implementation. For the purposes of carrying out the provisions of
this section, the regents may make rules, or authorize the commissioner
to make regulations, providing for the implementation of this section,
including provision for annual audited reports of the financial records
of such corporations as the regents or the commissioner may require.

Structure New York Laws