Kansas City PBS hit with funding "gut punch"
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Kansas City's PBS station is reevaluating its programming and asking for local support after Congress voted to cut $1.1 billion from public broadcasting, resulting in a 13% local budget shortfall.
Why it matters: The local PBS station's community engagement may be hit hardest by the funding "gut punch," station president and CEO Kliff Kuehl tells Axios.
The big picture: Kuehl says they'll still be able to operate on a reduced budget, but there probably won't be as many town halls, screenings and events as in previous years.
- "We're really trying to use a scalpel instead of a chainsaw."
Inside the room: Ahead of the vote, Kansas City PBS put together two budgets — one with federal funding and one without. They also set aside emergency fundraising and did "a little belt tightening" last year, Kuehl says.
- He's also anticipating some relief from the typical dues they pay to receive national programming such as "Sesame Street."
Yes, but: Some open positions won't be filled and, Kuehl tells Axios, the station is cutting the printed program guide — which he knows will frustrate some die-hards.
The latest: The station has launched an emergency fundraising campaign to stanch the fiscal bleeding, and Kuehl says some donors have begun stepping up.
- But he's worried one-time increased donations won't sustain the station after the first year of cuts.
Zoom out: Rescinding funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will mostly affect smaller rural stations that don't receive as much local funding, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.
- "You're going to end up killing some of the smallest markets … stations where this federal funding can be 30, 40, 50% of their budget," Kuehl says.
The other side: U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, likened PBS and NPR to Soviet Union-era communist propaganda in a speech last week and said rescinding the funding would help "put our nation's fiscal house in order."
- Both Schmitt and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) voted for the bill, as did U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, both Kansas Republicans.
Reality check: PBS has consistently ranked among the most trusted media outlets in the United States.
The bottom line: While Kansas City PBS says it can weather the storm, smaller stations might not be so lucky.