Why does public matter? Ask the 80 million Americans who view public television or the 32 million who listen to public radio every week. Ask the child who learned how to read with the help of the Sesame Street gang, or the woman on her morning commute listening to Morning Edition. Ask the man who loves classical music, but the nearest symphony orchestra is 100 miles from his home, or the teenage girl who is learning about her heritage watching African American Lives.

Every day public broadcasting touches millions of lives, and if we're lucky, our programming will change a life for the better.

Public broadcasting is a trusted and valued media gateway to authentic engagement with our world, a treasured national resource that has been in place for 40 years. For a federal investment of approximately $1.53 per American per year, public broadcasting creates and distributes quality, commercial-free programming and provides local community services that cannot be found elsewhere.

Many of us grew up watching public television, listening to public radio. Perhaps your children are now doing likewise. Please continue to support public broadcasting - for what it has meant to your life and what it will mean to the lives of generations to come.