What are the pros and cons of having both public and private radio stations in the United States?

Public Radio- The main
advantages to having public radio stations in the United States (or anywhere) is that,
by removing their need to make a profit, you remove their need to compete with other
radio stations for actual ratings.  You can hire professional journalists, play extended
clips and interviews, include specialty shows, and limit advertising.  These things tend
to limit bias in broadcast much more effectively than in private radio.  It gives
listeners an alternative to mainstream media.

The main
disadvantage is that it requires taxpayer support as well as donations to stay on the
air, so funding is continually shaky.  some would argue that public radio cannot as
easily cover world events and reports without using the same wire services and media
outlets as traditional media.

Private
Radio - As with all private companies, these stations deliver what the
people want to hear, both in information and programming.  Those stations that do not do
this lose ratings and go out of business, so you could argue private radio is more
responsive to the public.

The same argument is also a
disadvantage.  By catering to public whims, they are more likely to try and entertain
rather than inform.  So we have a lot of one sided talk shows and narrow programming of
music per channel so that the listeners get what they want, as well as the advertisers
who influence content.