Pennsylvania public media affiliates weigh impact of possible cuts after U.S. House votes to defund them

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The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a sweeping $9.4 billion spending rescission package that includes a $1.1 billion cut to public media funding.

If it is passed by the Senate and signed into law, it will deliver a major financial blow to NPR, PBS and more than 1,500 affiliated stations across the country. That includes more than 20 stations in Pennsylvania, such as WHYY, but also smaller stations that will likely be the most impacted by the loss of funding.

Public media leaders say the funding loss could force layoffs, programming cuts and even closures of some stations — particularly those in rural and underserved regions that rely heavily on federal support.

Carla McCabe, president and CEO of Scranton’s WVIA, called it “a crisis.”

“If the rescission package passes the Senate, I’ll need to fill at least a $1.2 million budget gap immediately,” she told WHYY News. “This will devastate the programs and services our community relies on.”

Margaret McConnell, executive director of WDIY/Lehigh Valley Public Radio, said it felt like a “punch to the gut.”

“I don’t want to say a death sentence, but it’s going to be incredibly challenging to make up that money now,” McConnell told WHYY News.

The federal funding, which is distributed to member stations through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, makes up about 15% of WDIY’s overall budget. Most local programming is done by volunteers, but McConnell said that such cuts could take away necessary funds for national news content, music licensing and other services the station provides to the community, all of which would be at risk.

“We are not just a radio station,” she said. “None of these small public radio stations are just radio stations. We’re a public square. We’re a place where people from different backgrounds can come together to learn, reflect and celebrate the life of this region.”

Cindy Spizarny, president and CEO of WQLN in Erie, said that she was “disappointed,” calling the funding essential in “carrying out our mission of being a vital contributor, public safety partner and educational resource for our region.”

“Federal funding makes up 40% of our budget, and while we are grateful for the thousands of loyal WQLN supporters, this funding is irreplaceable and the loss will devastate the level of services we provide going forward,” she said.

The measure would eliminate funding previously allocated for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to the CPB. It would be the largest single cut to public broadcasting in U.S. history.

The decision comes just weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting current-year funding for NPR and PBS, citing concerns over political bias. That order is now facing legal challenges, but the House action goes a step further by retroactively rescinding funds Congress had already approved.

The vote Thursday passed by only two votes, largely along party lines, with four Democrats, including Rep. Donald Norcross of New Jersey, missing the vote. Five Republicans, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks County, joined unanimous Democrats to vote against it.

WHYY News reached out to Fitzpatrick for comment, but did not receive a response. All other Republicans from Pennsylvania voted in favor of the rescission.

McCabe said she was disappointed that members of Congress representing WVIA’s listening area voted in favor.

“This directly affects the over 2 million residents that depend on WVIA’s essential programs and services,” she said.

In a prior statement sent to WHYY News, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Dauphin County, said he supported the effort because of what he saw as bias in public media.

“It’s a no-brainer to slash taxpayer funding of NPR and PBS – disinformation and propaganda outlets that only publish leftist talking points,” Perry said. “Let’s get it done.”

Bill Marrazzo, president and CEO of WHYY, disputed those assertions about public media, saying that while it’s “perfectly legitimate” for Congress to debate the size of the budget, “today’s vote is a reflection of the view that public media should be defunded because we are not impartial, not objective and shouldn’t be trusted, and I think those are three false reasons for considering the defunding of public media.”

“We are anything but that,” he said. “We are objective in our reporting. We are balanced and we are reflective of the American way of life. And I would argue for those reasons alone, federal funding ought to be preserved.”

McConnell agreed, adding that more people will likely get their news from social media or unreliable sources.

“PBS and NPR are still the most trusted news organizations, and we have a responsibility of speaking the truth and sharing the truth with our community,” she said. “What is replacing it is everybody’s a news reporter. Everybody can make up whatever news they want. So nobody’s getting the truth anymore. That’s the biggest concern.”

The rescission package’s fate in the Republican-controlled Senate remains uncertain. However, under the rescission law process, the bill requires only a simple majority to pass and is not subject to a Senate filibuster. If the Senate approves the measure, stations may begin to feel the impact as early as this fall, when federal support typically flows into operating budgets.

As that possibility edges closer, station leaders are talking about “contingency plans” and looking to their respective communities for greater support. McConnell says that her station is holding an extra fundraising drive this month and looking for partnership opportunities with other radio stations.

“I would expect that public radio stations are going to be coming together to talk about solutions,” she said.

McCabe said her station is also engaging in more community fundraising, but she was concerned it wouldn’t be enough.

“WVIA has experienced an outpouring of encouragement from our community, stepping up for us during this crisis,” she said. “However, private philanthropy cannot replace the critical federal funding that enables stations across the country to be an interconnected resource for unparalleled, essential services that aren’t offered by anyone else.”

WHYY is one of the larger NPR and PBS affiliates in the state, and federal funding accounts for about 7% of its total budget. Marrazzo said that the station’s diverse sources of income help and that he’s hopeful that more people will appreciate the value public media provides.

“I think media writ large and public media has had its share of headwinds,” he said. “It’s a hard business to run. It relies heavily on all forms of support, not just federal funding support, but the support of the people who rely on our services on a core basis. And if we can appeal to just one more out of 10 people who routinely use WHYY services to become a member, I will become incredibly optimistic.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Marrazzo (not Marazzo). Language has also been revised to reflect that WHYY is a public media organization, not a federal media outlet. Additionally, the article was updated to accurately state that WHYY’s annual federal funding accounts for about 7% of its total budget, not 16%. WHYY is committed to transparency and accuracy in our reporting. If you spot an error or have feedback about our coverage, please contact us at whyy.org/contact.