PBS SoCal

Legal name: Public Media Group of Southern California

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
952211661
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Burbank, CA, USA
Phone
(800) 278-5050
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Television

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$51,710,242
Expenses
$47,841,337
Assets
$141,161,349
Liabilities
$36,561,635

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

47 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREW RUSSELL (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANDREW RUSSELL (PRESIDENT & CEO): $636,877 total reported compensation
  • JAMIE MYERS (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $434,795 total reported compensation
  • TAMARA JOANNA GOULD (CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER): $375,416 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Public Media promotes a love of learning and helps communities, so that those living in them may have a fulfilling life in a strong, inclusive, and vibrant community.

What it reported doing in 2024

Program guides for all pbs socal channels are published on our website that is available to the general public. Additionally, in 2025 a quarterly publication was sent to all pbs socal members highlighting various upcoming programs, community events and initiatives as well as featuring editorial letters from various staff members and station talent. Marketing materials are produced that highlight various educational pbs programs (both on-air and in person) which result in building awareness of the organization's commitment to keeping the community informed and engaged. Viewers can also sign up to receive the weekly pbs socal membership email newsletter as well as weekly email blasts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 62.9%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 63.9%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.8%; rating input score 99; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.5%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.95; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 62.9% of revenue deployed · 63.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 31 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $30.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $637K · 47 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 23 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.