This month, the White House has called on Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in funding from public broadcasters. Once this request is formally submitted, Congress will have 45 days to adopt or reject the request.
Here's what we know about the plan:
- It's called a "recission" package, a rarely used method to cut federal spending.
- The specific programs targeted for recissions have not yet been formally announced, but it's likely the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — funded two years in advance — and other key public media programs that support stations will be included.
- The White House could send this plan to Congress as early as Monday, April 28, when lawmakers return from recess.
- This would start a 45-day countdown for Congress to review and vote on the proposal.
- If Congress doesn't approve the plan — or can't get enough votes to pass it — the funding must be released.
- The Senate can pass it with a simple majority of just 50 votes, and Congress has the option to change what's included.
This post will be updated as we learn more.
Five things to know about public media and federal funding:
- Public media reaches 99% of the U.S. population and serves millions of Americans every day.
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent nonprofit that distributes federal dollars (an average of $1.60 per American annually) to local stations. That money is used to invest in programming and services according to each community’s needs.
- In 2024, KEDM's grant from the CPB Community Service Grant was $145,000, or 22% of our annual budget.
- CPB funding allows public media stations to pool resources for satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, music licensing, and educational program development, all of which would be too expensive for stations to do independently.
- Cuts to federal funding would negatively impact rural stations like ours' ability to serve the people who need it most. Learn more at Protect My Public Media.
KEDM Public Radio is an NPR Member Station, part of a nationwide public media network that serves millions of Americans. The network reaches nearly all Americans with free and accessible programs, regardless of population density, income, or geographic challenges.
Public media stations are partially funded by the CPB. Each station is locally managed and makes programming and service decisions to address unique community needs and interests. At KEDM, these programs and services include the national shows you enjoy, like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, as well as local favorites like Lagniappe, Mostly Big Bands, Bayou-Diversity, and The Boot.
Public media’s service also includes lifesaving emergency alerts through its management and operation of the Public Radio Satellite System.
The need for and value of federal funding for public media has become a common topic lately, so we put together this page to answer frequently asked questions about how public media’s funding works and what impact the absence of that funding may have on public radio and television here and across the country.
If you have other questions, please reach out to KEDM General Manager Jay Curtis at curtis@ulm.edu.
What is the CPB’s role in public broadcasting?
The CPB is distinct from both NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster but an independent, nonprofit organization created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting and to help fund programming, stations, and technology.
Funding for CPB is established through the federal budget annual appropriations process two years in advance with the intention of insulating funding from political pressures. Its total appropriation is currently over $500 million. The CPB is responsible for allocating its funds from the federal budget in any way that fulfills its mission: to ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial-free and free of charge.
NPR and PBS don’t receive direct support from the CPB; the funding goes directly to local stations so they can decide how best to program for their communities.
How much CPB funding does KEDM receive?
Approximately 22% of our budgeted revenue, or about $145,000, comes from the CPB. The amount is calculated using a complex formula that takes into account our region’s population and how much funding we are able to raise locally from donations by individuals and support from small businesses and organizations.
Support from local listeners and businesses accounts for almost half of our revenue annually. It is critical for KEDM's sustainability and always has been.
Why does KEDM (or any station) need federal funding?
Even though member and local business support make up a large part of KEDM’s funding, federal funding, which costs an average of $1.60 per American per year, makes public media, as you currently know it, possible.
CPB’s investment directly supports local stations across the country and enables them to provide essential programs and services. If federal funding is eliminated, public media stations could be forced to cut some or all of the following:
- Signature educational content as set forth in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
- Important public safety communications during natural disasters
- Local newsrooms and personnel providing information essential to the well-being of local communities
- Music and cultural programming
Some stations, particularly those in rural areas that secure a larger percentage of their revenue from the CPB, could even be forced off the air. In many rural communities, public media stations are the only local sources of news, weather, and emergency information.
Stable funding from the CPB and other sources has allowed KEDM to expand its programming and online services.
It also allows us to maintain our radio transmitter and serve a rural region of northeast Louisiana with essential services that provide the public with local, national, and world news as well as daily weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings.
What would happen if KEDM lost CPB funding?
While KEDM would immediately seek to raise the $145,000 in lost CPB funds from donors and business sponsors, the loss of federal funding would very likely result in immediate and significant impacts on our ability to provide essential services, including the production of local and regional news and music programming, our ability to purchase national programming, and maintain broadcast infrastructure.
How can I help?
Donate
Click here do make a donation to support KEDM. You can become a member or donate your stock, car, and more.
Contact elected officials
Contact your lawmakers and urge them to preserve CPB funding. Use this form to submit your information and connect with Members of Congress.