PBS Wisconsin and a Push to Cut Federal Funding for the CPB

Zac Schultz:
The Trump administration issued an executive order last week directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to halt direct funding of PBS and NPR. PBS Wisconsin is a member station of PBS. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not a federal agency under control of the administration. Instead, it’s a private organization created and funded by Congress. Congress has appropriated $535 million for the CPB. Much of that funding flows down to member stations across the country. Approximately 10% of our budget at PBS Wisconsin comes from that funding. The leadership at PBS and NPR have vowed to fight this order in court, calling it illegal. The Trump administration has also said it plans to introduce a rescission package in Congress, a method to eliminate congressionally authorized spending. It’s been reported that package would include future funding for the CPB. Those are the facts. We’ve been asked by our viewers what the cuts would mean to PBS Wisconsin, and for that, we wanted you to hear directly from our leadership team. So I spoke with Jordan Siegler, executive director of Wisconsin Public Media.

Jordan Siegler:
At the federal level, a lot of these cuts are at this point, they’re ideas, and they certainly do threaten aspects of our funding. But everything is speculative. This is perhaps the biggest threat to public media funding that we’re facing currently, at least in recent memory. However, the system is very strong. Our message is very strong. Our service to the state and to this nation is proven. And so right now we’re really focused on telling our story of impact. Of course, we’re paying attention to the threats that we face, but we’re really focused on serving our audiences through our education services, through community connections, and through local content that reflect the state and the priorities of the citizens.