The study of state government involvement in public radio which is reported in this handbook was conducted to collect information on the legislation, agencies, funding formulas, regulations, and politics in each state for use by station managers, state administrators, and state legislators. The first of two volumes, this handbook includes a description of the study with advisory notes for the reader, a summary of the findings, an overview of trends and observations, and state descriptions providing comprehensive information for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. This information includes the amount, source, and allocation of state government funds for public radio and television (figures given are for FY 1979 unless otherwise indicated); state agencies that administer those funds; legislation that authorizes state funding and related activities; regulations that accompany the funds; statewide interconnection systems for public broadcasting stations; statewide organizations of public broadcasting stations; state plans and studies that deal with the role of the state in broadcasting; and the public radio stations in each state. The appendices include the state agency survey, telephone survey questions, and a list of state public broadcasting agencies. A glossary of terms is also provided. (CHC)