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Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

EIN 16-0834459 · Buffalo, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair61 out of 100GovernanceStrong93 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

WE ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION, EXPLORATION, AND ENTERTAINMENT - EVERYWHERE - INCLUDING ASSISTING PARTNERS IN ACHIEVING THE SAME.

Income
$14.5 million
Spending
$15.3 million
Spent on programs
54%
Reserves
7.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 79%
Employees
122
Volunteers
125
Highest pay
$467,895, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 30% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 19% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 6% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 20% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    54% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 34 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 28% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    23 of 24 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $5.7 million spent. WNED-TV IS A FULL-SERVICE PUBLIC TELEVISION STATION OFFERING INSTRUCTIONAL, CULTURAL, AND CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING 24 HOURS/DAY. WNED-TV, KNOWN AS BTPM PBS, HAS 2 MILLION MONTHLY CUMULATIVE LISTENERS AND VIEWERS. CONTENT INCLUDES NATIONALLY AND LOCALLY LICENSED PROGRAMMING AND ORIGINAL CONTENT INCLUDING COMPACT HISTORY, LET'S GO!, AND COMPACT SCIENCE. BTPM PBS CONSISTS OF TWO SUB-CHANNELS BTPM CREATE AND BTPM PBS KIDS. CONTENT IS ALSO SHARED ON STREAMING APPLICATIONS SUCH AS THE CORPORATE WEBSITE (BTPM.ORG), YOUTUBE CHANNEL (YOUTUBE.COM/BUFFALOTORONTOPUBLICMEDIA), AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
  2. $1.8 million spent. WBFO-FM, WOLN-FM, AND WUBJ-FM OPERATE PRIMARILY AS 24-HOUR NEWS AND INFORMATION RADIO STATIONS. THE STATIONS, KNOWN AS BTPM NPR, HAS 2 MILLION MONTHLY CUMULATIVE LISTENERS. WBFO-FM HAS TWO SUB-CHANNELS ON HD: WBFO HD2/BTPM THE BRIDGE HAS A AAA FORMAT AND FEATURES LOCAL ARTISTS WHILE WBFO HD3/BTPM RADIO BILINGUE PROVIDES BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH PROGRAMMING.
  3. $704,414 spent. WNED-FM AND WNJA-FM OPERATE PRIMARILY AS 24-HOUR CLASSICAL MUSIC STATIONS. THE STATIONS, KNOWN AS BTPM CLASSICAL HAS 2 MILLION MONTHLY CUMULATIVE LISTENERS AND FEATURES LOCAL COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS, ENGAGES WITH YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH STUNTS SUCH AS FEATURING HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALS ON AIR, AND PROVIDES FREE, MONTHLY PERFORMANCES AT THE STATION BUILDING.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1960.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.