Public media funding cuts begin hitting Illinois stations
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Local public media is starting to feel the impact of federal funding cuts.
The latest: National Public Radio announced layoffs and voluntary buyouts this week, including veteran reporters Don Gonyea and Nell Greenfieldboyce.
The big picture: The network — whose programming is widely aired on WBEZ-FM locally — blamed Congress' rollback of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
State of play: When Congress voted to cut funding, analysts warned that smaller, university-run stations across Illinois would likely be hit harder than major outlets like WBEZ.
Reality check: They were right.
- WEIU-TV in Charleston announced last week that it is shutting down after more than 40 years. The station — which also served as a training ground for Eastern Illinois University students — relied on federal funding to operate.
- The station ended its PBS affiliation in October and will now go off the air.
What they're saying: "In many communities, these stations are among the few remaining local news outlets covering city councils, school boards, elections, and other civic institutions without a paywall," Illinois Public Broadcasting Council's Heather Norman said in a release.
The intrigue: As stations like WEIU-TV fold, Illinois lawmakers quietly moved to shield public media outlets at state universities from politically motivated funding cuts.
- A bill passed by the General Assembly would protect university license holders and journalists from retaliation for coverage critical of the government.
Zoom out: So far, Chicago's major public media outlets haven't announced cuts tied to the federal funding rollback.
- In fact, WBEZ is adding staff, including two full-time state government reporters funded through a new partnership with Illinois Public Broadcasters.
- The station also announced that it is bringing Vocalo back to its airwaves. The former sister station was cut in 2024, but the brand maintained an active digital presence.
- The rebooted version — "The Vocalo Hotline" — launches Friday as a live-music call-in show hosted by Nudia Hernandez.
The show will air Fridays at 8pm on Vocalo 91.1 FM and WBEZ-FM and rebroadcast Sundays at 10pm on WBEZ.