KUAF calls fundraising successful, but warns of ongoing threat
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Northwest Arkansas' local National Public Radio affiliate is facing uncertainty in the wake of federal funding cuts and the impending shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Why it matters: KUAF, the public radio station for NWA, the River Valley, eastern Oklahoma and southwest Missouri, serves many small rural communities and is sometimes the only source of news people consume, general manager Clint Schaff told Axios.
- Public radio not only encourages civic participation but builds community, "turning strangers into neighbors," Schaff said, noting he personally found community as a KUAF listener when he moved to the region four years ago.
The latest: KUAF met its emergency fundraising goal last week to recover the roughly $210,000 in annual federal funding it receives, Schaff told Axios on Friday. Joel and Lynn Carver of Springdale agreed to match $100,000 in donations.
Yes, but: "Even with more than $200,000 raised, we've only covered one year of that annual loss," he said in an email. "This week's success might actually harm our fall fundraiser because people will think we're all set. We won't be. So we need to keep pushing for sustainable funding. We will need increased philanthropic support from foundations and other institutions."
The big picture: NPR and PBS have said they will continue to operate even though the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down after Congress' decision to cut nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding.
- Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, who represents the district encompassing NWA and the River Valley, voted for the legislation that cut funding, along with Arkansas' other three House representatives and two U.S. senators.
Zoom out: The full implications of losing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are unknown, as KUAF has relied on the organization for emergency alert infrastructure and music licensing. The station may have to purchase music licensing elsewhere, for example.
By the numbers: In addition to federal funding, KUAF received about $1.02 million from membership and underwriting and about $762,000 from individual donors during fiscal year 2024, according to Schaff.
- But some public radio stations around the country rely much more heavily on federal funding. As much as 96% of an Alaska station's revenue comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to financial disclosures from the organization.
The bottom line: Thanks to community support, KUAF is not looking at cutting staff or programming at this time, but it could come to that if it can't continue to make up for the loss.