I love the intention of making the shows affordable and peg costs to a per-user basis. The reality in the U.S. is that big urban markets like NY, Boston, SF, LA, Washington, etc. are flush with cash, while stations in in small rural markets struggle to make ends meet. If federal assistance to CPB dried up, it's these largely underserved rural markets that would go dark, not big cities.
Truth on the rural markets, though I suspect running those translators is pretty inexpensive. I've got to say, having made more than a few cross-country trips, that finding myself within range of an NPR station rather than just very tired C&W, bible, right-rage-wing talk, or Mexican radio is a blessing.
The cost isn't just for the translators however - most of our stations also produce content themselves that is local, and many produce their own shows as well. Those are not small investments, but a smaller audience in a rural area means fewer people to raise support from. Our Alaska stations actually band together to help keep radio going across Alaska, though population is thinner.
