Local stations brace for impact after U.S. House votes to claw back public media funding

You are our mission. You’re why WHYY produces fact-based news that’s freely available to all on-air and online. Show your support for WHYY news and programming. Become a member or donate here. You’re WHYY.

Public media heads around the region are preparing for a new reality after Congress approved President Donald Trump’s request to rescind previously appropriated funding for foreign aid and public media.

Early Friday morning, the House voted 216 to 213 to clawback $9 billion in previously allocated funds, with just two Republicans joining Democrats in voting against the measure. The move cuts about $7 billion in spending on foreign aid and $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ending all federal support for NPR, PBS and local member stations.

With a recent annual budget of $535 million, the CPB has helped fund more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations around the country, including WHYY and other stations in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.

Margaret McConnell, executive director of Lehigh Valley Public Radio which operates WDIY, a National Public Radio affiliate station, woke up to the news.

“I felt really discouraged and disheartened and like it’s over and what more can I possibly do?” she told WHYY News.

Station leaders like McConnell have been preparing for cuts in federal grants since May, when Trump issued an executive order demanding CPB “cease” funding NPR and PBS. However, since the CPB allocates those funds two years in advance, Congress’ use of a rare rescission bill to rescind the $1.1 billion already allocated means the situation has become more urgent for stations, which may see shortfalls in a matter of a few months.

Around 15% of WDIY’s operating budget comes from federal money distributed by CPB. Most of that money pays to license programming from NPR, McConnell said, programming they will likely have to cut. She added there may be a loss to local programming.

“That’s content that helps promote the arts and culture here,” she said. “It’s content that helps talk about new eateries, distilleries, restaurants, how to stay active and what recreational things there are to do. In the Lehigh Valley, we have a show with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission where they come on once a month and they talk about what’s happening from a planning perspective, from wastewater to transportation issues. I mean, these are things that the public needs to know and we’re going to lose that.”

A mostly-volunteer station with a full-time staff of five, including herself, McConnell said she’s hopeful that layoffs won’t be necessary, but she will soon gather a meeting of the station’s board of directors to devise a strategy to handle the cuts.

At WHYY, a much larger urban station that serves as both a PBS and NPR affiliate and employs more than 200 people, federal funding comprises 7% of the total budget. CEO Bill Marrazzo said that he doesn’t expect any changes in staffing or programming offerings, “other than to increase them in number for the foreseeable future.”

“WHYY has worked hard and effectively to build a strong financial and market position to weather disruptions,” he said. “We have grown our audiences across all our platforms and, with it, our contributed income from growth in voluntary contributions of support. The result has been the growth in the mix of programming and services vital to those in our region.”

However, many smaller and more rural stations like Erie’s WQLN historically depended more on federal funding, which makes up 40% of its $1.2 million annual budget. President and CEO Cindy Spizarny calls the federal funding “irreplaceable” and said the loss “presents serious challenges for stations like ours.”

“Losing this CPB support means we’ll have to make some very tough decisions in the coming months that will affect the level of service we can provide,” she said in an email. “We are exploring all options to maintain our operations and continue serving our audience — the members, viewers, listeners, supporters, students, and teachers who rely on WQLN. Our team is working diligently to find creative solutions that enable many of our services to continue reaching those who need them most, including community connections, quality programming, public safety, and educational outreach.”

She added that “the decisions ahead will be tough, but our mission and the people we serve will remain at the very heart of everything we do.”

Some stations have the benefit of being tied to a university, such as WPSU, which is operated by Pennsylvania State University. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t be affected. Federal funding accounts for around $1.4 million, or 20% of WPSU’s annual operating budget. Like WHYY, WPSU also hosts TV and radio.

“Federal funding is essential to WPSU’s ability to serve central and northern Pennsylvania … and supports the infrastructure that keeps us on the air, including antennas, transmitters, emergency alert systems and digital platforms,” PSU said in a statement sent to WHYY News. “If this funding is rescinded, there would be reduced access to educational programming for children, limited availability of local news and cultural content, diminished emergency broadcasting capabilities, and financial strain that could threaten the future of stations like ours.”

The university itself also recently cut some of the station’s budget last month.

NPR CEO Katherine Maher called the cuts an “irreversible loss” to the public radio system. In a statement, she said the effect would be “an unwarranted dismantling of beloved local civic institutions, and an act of Congress that disregards the public will.”

“Public funding has enabled the flourishing of a uniquely American system of unparalleled cultural, informational, and educational programming, and ensured access to vital emergency alerting and reporting in times of crisis — all for about $1.60 per American, every year. Parents and children, senior citizens and students, tribal and rural communities — all will bear the harm of this vote,” Maher said.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with more specific detail regarding the cuts to WPSU’s operating budget.