What the elimination of federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting means for public radio stations — including WFAE.
Last week, Congress passed a rescissions package eliminating federal funding for public media. The legislation follows an executive order from President Trump directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board to stop federal funding for NPR and PBS, citing alleged partisan bias.
NPR member stations and PBS affiliates across the country are expected to feel the impact of these cuts in some form. The elimination of $1.1 billion in federal funding will hit smaller stations especially hard — particularly those that provide local news and information to rural communities — including urgent emergency weather alerts. Some stations are not expected to survive the cuts.
In the next hour of Charlotte Talks, we sit down with the leaders of three North Carolina public radio stations to discuss the challenges ahead and the fallout from the loss of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
GUESTS:
Frank Dominguez, general manager of WDAV
Ele Ellis, CEO and general manager of Blue Ridge Public Radio
Ju-Don Marshall, president and CEO of WFAE
Bill Siemering, member of the founding board of NPR and author of its original mission statement
