WOJB Tribal Radio Looks to Build Support Following Defunding

Frederica Freyberg:
In northern Wisconsin, the only tribal radio station in the state won’t see federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting after this week. Following the cuts, WOJB 88.9 FM says it will explore unconventional ways to keep the station on the air. In collaboration with ICT, formerly Indian Country Today, “Here & now” reporter Erica Ayisi visited Woodland Community Radio in Hayward to learn more. We should mention Wisconsin Public Media also lost CPB funding. Here’s Erica’s report.

Jeffrey Jones:
And we’re going to miss that greatly. 40% plus, between 40 and 45% of our funding…

Other man:
That’s a bunch of money.

Jeffrey Jones:
… is going away.

Erica Ayisi:
Jeffrey Jones, host of the afternoon show, wants listeners to know how much federal funding WOJB lost due to the vote to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting or CPB.

Jeffrey Jones:
Now, more than ever, we need our listeners.

Erica Ayisi:
He’s hosting a pledge drive asking listeners to hear his heed for donations.

Jeffrey Jones:
We have an extra week of coming to you, our listeners, to ask for your support to expand.

Erica Ayisi:
Karl Habeck, general manager of WOJB Woodland Community Radio, says the station needs generous support to keep Wisconsin’s only tribal radio station on the airwaves.

Karl Habeck:
For next year, we’re going to have to look for approximately $230,000 to, to maintain what we have going.

Erica Ayisi:
WOJB received funding distributed by CPB. It was defunded in July as part of President Donald Trump’s Rescission Act of 2025. The administration took back $1.1 billion in pre-allocated CPB funds, threatening the operation of 57 tribal stations across the country, like 88.9 FM in Hayward.

Karl Habeck:
It kind of breaks my heart to see it, but that’s what’s going on in this world today. And we’re — we get the repercussions of that.

Erica Ayisi:
Habeck says WOJB self generates funds through listener member donations, underwriting and leasing their radio towers.

Karl Habeck:
We actually made over $250,000 last year on our own.

Erica Ayisi:
But Habeck says the rural radio station needs more.

Karl Habeck:
We’re not going to be able to make it with listener donors and underwriting together. Still not enough.

Erica Ayisi:
WOJB is on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Nation Reservation. Habeck says they went on the air in 1982 out of activism amongst the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe tribal members.

Karl Habeck:
The creators of the station were concerned about not having a voice and not being heard.

TV announcer:
Boat landings where spearers were fishing are packed with protesters, cops and reporters.

Erica Ayisi:
In the late ’80s, Habeck says WOJB educated listeners about tribal sovereignty and ceded territory during the Walleye Wars spearfishing controversy.

Woman on TV:
You’re going to take everything that’s allowed to anybody else, and that’s not right.

Karl Habeck:
A lot of people misunderstood or didn’t care to understand the treaty, the hunting and fishing rights of the Ojibwe people in, in northern Wisconsin.

Woman radio announcer:
Welcome. Welcome to WOJB.

Listener:
Thank you.

Erica Ayisi:
And today, Habeck says listeners tune in from the Northwoods and beyond. Operating at 100,000 watts, reaching nearly 100 miles in every direction.

Karl Habeck:
We just barely get up to Superior but if you get up on the hill in Duluth, we reach that far. We’ll reach down, you know, maybe as far as Amery, as far east as easily Park Falls.

Erica Ayisi:
Habeck says he’s hopeful that his conversations with Native Public Media, a Native American-based public broadcasting organization, will help generate funds.

Karl Habeck:
I think they could come up with something significant.

Erica Ayisi:
As he waits for South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds to make good on his promise with the Trump administration to take $9.4 million of unused climate change money and reallocate it to certain tribal stations.

Karl Habeck:
I think it included the most needy tribes. I know we made the list.

Erica Ayisi:
A list hasn’t been made public, but Habeck says the staff and volunteers at WOJB are up to the challenge…

Jeffrey Jones:
I’m Jeff and it’s the afternoon here on WOJB reserve.

Erica Ayisi:
…and opportunity…

Jeffrey Jones:
We’re broadcasting from Lac Courte Oreilles.

Erica Ayisi:
…to keep their community programing on the airwaves.

Karl Habeck:
So we’re going to have to do something above and beyond to generate the funds that we need that are unconventional to what we’re used to doing.

Jeffrey Jones:
Music from Perfume Genius here on WOJB.

Erica Ayisi:
Reporting from the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation, I’m Erica Ayisi for “Here & Now” and ICT.