On June 3, the White House asked Congress to take back the two years of previously authorized funding that it has set aside for public broadcasting.
To take effect, the “rescission request” must be approved by a simple majority in each chamber of Congress within the next 45 days. If approved, the request would eliminate about $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), much of which flows directly to stations like WFAE.
The impact on WFAE and stations throughout the country would be devastating. Some stations could face closing. WFAE’s ability to deliver the news and information you rely on would be severely impacted.
WFAE receives about 5% in direct dollars from CPB. However, we receive almost as much in indirect support to offset the cost of some of our reporting and other systems and services we rely on to produce our 24/7 broadcasts.
You’ve heard us talk for years about WFAE’s role in filling the growing news gap in North and South Carolina. Research shows that when news is reduced in communities, civic engagement declines, polarization increases, misinformation and disinformation proliferate, and communities feel increasingly disconnected.
Public media has been a solution to these issues. WFAE has no agenda other than to serve your need for news and information and to provide you with the context and conversations to help you better understand the community and world around you. And we’ve done just that for nearly 45 years.
That’s why this moment is critical. If you value what we do and want to take action, here’s what you can do:
Contact your congressional representatives: Even if you have done so before, they need to hear your voice as they prepare to vote on taking back already approved funding. You can go to the American Coalition for Public Radio, which has a customizable email template, or Protect My Public Media to easily send an email. You can also call the representatives’ offices. Tell them why funding for WFAE and public media matters to you. Please encourage your friends and family members who care about public media to do the same.
You may be asking, “Will my email or call make a difference?” We believe it will because public media has long attracted bipartisan support.
Public media listeners represent the diversity of our community. WFAE has more listeners who are unaffiliated with any political party, followed by Republicans and then Democrats, according to third-party ratings data. That tells a very different story from the one that suggests public media speaks to only a narrow audience of listeners.
And preserving funding comes down to a very slim margin. Your voice may be the key in convincing a critical representative that public media matters too much in this community to risk its future.
If you want to do more, we encourage you to donate today to preserve the essential service we provide to this community.
Thank you for standing with us.
Ju-Don Marshall
WFAE President & CEO
