OPB and rural Oregon stations hit hard by federal funding cut
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Oregon's public TV and radio stations may find themselves with big holes in their budgets after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding.
The big picture: CPB grants made up about 10.3% of U.S. public TV stations' overall funding as of fiscal 2023, and 4.1% for radio stations, according to publicly available financial data collected by a former NPR staffer and shared with Axios.
The latest: Many public TV and radio stations recently have been upping their pleas for donations, hoping to appeal to viewers and listeners in their time of need.
- Public media stations in relatively populous, high-income cities tend to have better access to donors.
- OPB, which serves Oregon and southwest Washington, is currently hosting an "emergency membership drive" to make up for roughly $5 million in estimated cuts.
Yes, but: Rural stations tend to be more reliant on federal dollars — like KCUW, which serves the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation — while also serving key roles for local news and emergency broadcasts, including weather and AMBER alerts.
Go deeper: Which public TV and radio stations most rely on federal funds