Alabama survey finds majority supports APT’s ties with PBS, state funding

MONTGOMERY, Ala. —

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A majority of Alabama respondents favor keeping Alabama Public Television’s relationship with PBS, and more support increasing state funding than cutting it, according to a statewide survey released by Alabama Public Television.

The survey found 54.2% favored continuing the relationship with PBS, compared with 17.7% who favored ending it. Another 28.1% were unsure. The question told respondents PBS programming makes up roughly 80% to 90% of APT’s broadcasts and that ending the relationship would require replacing most of its current lineup.

On state funding, 39% said it should increase, 17.5% said it should stay about the same and 14.2% said it should decrease. Nearly 3 in 10 respondents were unsure.

The survey also found broad support for keeping elected officials out of programming decisions. About 62% said officials should stay out, while 16.5% said they should have a say.

Respondents generally viewed APT’s educational role positively: 67.2% said the network is valuable to Alabama families and students. When asked what APT should emphasize in children’s programming, the most common choices were reading, math and academic skills, followed by science and nature.

The results were less conclusive on perceptions of the network’s political balance. About 29% said APT programming is generally balanced, while 19.6% said it leans liberal and 12.4% said it leans conservative. Nearly 40% were unsure. Also, 44.1% said they never watch APT in a typical week.

The survey was conducted by Cygnal from Sept. 20 to 23 among 600 people statewide. APT said known registered voters were interviewed by phone and text, and the results were weighted to represent Alabama’s general population. The reported margin of error is 4 percentage points.

You can read the full results of the survey on the APT website.