KQED braces for $8 million loss amid federal funding cuts
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San Francisco public radio station KQED faces an $8 million budget gap after Congress voted last week to slash federal funding for public broadcasters nationwide.
Why it matters: Public radio and TV stations don't just provide news, but also critical information such as Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts and natural disaster advisories.
State of play: The cuts are part of a sweeping rescissions package to claw back more than $9 billion in federal spending.
- $1.1 billion was cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through 2026 and 2027, marking a devastating blow for PBS and NPR.
Yes, but: While the cuts target the national organizations, PBS and NPR receive just 1% and 15% of their revenue from CPB respectively — most federal funds go to local stations.
Zoom in: KQED (88.5 FM) is asking listeners for more donations in response to the cuts, which represent about 7% to 8% of its revenue.
- The move came days after the organization announced plans to lay off 15% of its workforce due to financial constraints.
What they're saying: President and CEO Michael Isip said on Forum that the cuts were "the most difficult, distressing moment" for public broadcastings, both nationally and locally, but that "the loss of funding does not change our public service mission."
Follow the money: KQED was among 40 or so public TV and radio stations in California that received CPB grants totaling more than $53 million in 2023.
- KQED got almost $2.2 million, the highest allocation of the radio stations in the state that year.
Zoom out: Once a broadcaster is shuttered, its spectrum license is unlikely to ever returns to a community news station, PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in a recent interview.
What's next: KQED plans to use reserves and find new revenue to cover the shortfall, Isip added.
- "It's a grave setback, but this is not the end for public media or KQED," he said.