Editorial Note: The Ohio Newsroom was started with a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is supported by NPR member stations.
Congress has in previously allocated funds for public media and foreign aid. That amount includes $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) 鈥� a move that cuts all federal support for NPR, PBS and their member stations.
CPB, an independent nonprofit, allocated more than to Ohio鈥檚 public media television and radio stations in 2024.
The rescission package means funding cuts for radio and television stations across the state, including WYSO in Yellow Springs. General Manager Luke Dennis said in a previous interview with The Ohio Newsroom that 8% of his station鈥檚 budget relies on federal funding.
鈥淚t would be a different landscape. It would weaken the system terribly,鈥� Dennis said. 鈥淲e're talking about $545 million a year that would have to be replaced through private fundraising efforts, and it's not gonna rise to that level.鈥�
Congress already allocated $1.1 billion in funding to public media outlets for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 in a bill signed by President Donald Trump in March. But in subsequent months, Trump called public media too liberal and .
鈥淔ederal spending on CPB subsidizes a public media system that is politically biased and is an unnecessary expense to the taxpayer,鈥� the rescission request read.
Since its establishment in 1967 with the Public Broadcasting Act, CPB funding has historically received bipartisan support.
Ohio鈥檚 public radio landscape
While the bulk of public radio funding comes from individual donations and community grants, federal funding makes up around , and 13% of 网曝黑料 in Columbus.
For WOUB in Athens, federal funding makes up , with an additional 16% of its indirect costs being covered by the CPB.
CPB-backed initiatives include rural emergency alerts and early childhood educational programming, like PBS Kids. Its funding also allows public media stations to license music and pool resources for satellite interconnection.
鈥淧otential funding loss would devastate the local-national partnerships that enable us to bring trusted journalism, children鈥檚 programming, and educational resources to our community,鈥� a 网曝黑料 spokesperson said in a statement to the Ohio Newsroom earlier this month.
Potential fallout
Rural regions across the country will be .
Some rural stations rely on federal funds for nearly half their budget. If they have to go off the air, it will have ripple effects, according to WVXU president, general manager and CEO Richard Eiswerth.
鈥淭hey are paying money for the dues for the programming at NPR just as we are,鈥� Eiswerth said in . 鈥淚f NPR loses their revenue, their income, what happens to NPR? They will either have to dramatically increase the charges for the programs that they offer or begin to seriously eliminate programs that they offer to us.鈥�
Ohio outlets may need to make cuts to survive. WYSO鈥檚 General Manager Dennis said the Dayton area station will have to make swift decisions on an already very lean budget.
鈥淲e would have to take a hard look at personnel costs. Before we would do that, we would probably try to renegotiate some other fixed costs like talk to NPR about the fees that we pay to carry their programming,鈥� Dennis said.
WGTE in Toledo foresees some of the same issues. The rescission of funds would mean a 鈥渄evastating鈥� loss of over $1.2 million for the northwest Ohio public television and radio station.
鈥淚t will require WGTE to reduce the programming we purchase from NPR 鈥� Possible temporary freezes of vacant positions will also be necessary until the budget can be balanced. Because of the loss of federal funding, WGTE faces the prospect of operating a deficit budget in FY 25/26, despite our best efforts to seek out new revenue sources and eliminate all but essential services,鈥� a WGTE spokesperson said in a statement.
Future of public media
The Trump Administration also has issued an executive order to of NPR and PBS, calling the outlets 鈥渓eft-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars.鈥� NPR has the legality of the order in court.
Ohio public media executives also have . They argue not only does the funding take up a small sliver of the federal budget, it鈥檚 being used to ensure local communities have access to objective, unbiased news.
Dennis said Ohio鈥檚 public radio stations allow the state to have access to vital information that's not hidden behind a paywall.
鈥淚t's an institution, just like a library or a public school system 鈥� and it serves the public good,鈥� he said.
