All good points and we all know there’s no way they could compete without the dole.
I think NPR could compete, but I think the competitive NPR would be a different entity - more entertaining and not so insufferably snotty. For instance, the Discovery Channel started off as a commercial competitor to PBS. They’re a bit PC, but they don’t hammer you over the head with it. There’s reasonably entertaining shows like Mythbusters and such, not endless “documentaries” about how conservatives will destroy the planet.