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3 months ago
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Public radio and television stations across New York are bracing for severe budget shortfalls following Congress’ decision to eliminate over $1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), according to a report by independent newsroom New York Focus.
A total of 27 media organizations in New York, including 18 public radio and TV stations, receive CPB funding to support areas such as broadcasting, transmission, content creation, and community outreach.
According to estimates shared with New York Focus by CPB funding recipients, public media outlets in the state are expected to lose at least $57 million in federal support over the next two years. Of that total, nearly $50 million will be cut from public radio and TV station budgets, with the remaining $7.6 million affecting other public media entities.
The impact will be especially severe in rural areas, where stations are often more dependent on federal funding than their counterparts in urban centers like Albany and New York City. Nationwide, about 20% of rural radio stations serve communities with only one or two other news outlets, or none at all. In many such areas, public media is the sole source of essential information, including weather alerts, election coverage, public meetings, and government benefit updates.
Public media stations located in or broadcasting to rural New York communities are projected to lose approximately $22.7 million, representing a significantly larger portion of their budgets vs. the $27 million in cuts expected for New York City stations.
“This is a devastating outcome,” Mountain Lake PBS, a public TV station based in Plattsburgh that serves a large, rural region of state, wrote in a statement. “[But] let’s be clear, Mountain Lake PBS will not go dark.”
The federal funding model for public media — which operates as a public-private partnership — puts rural stations at particular risk. While the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) provides partial financial support, stations must rely on a mix of other revenue sources, such as individual donors, corporate underwriters, commercial sponsors, state funds, and private foundations, to cover the rest of their operating costs. Rural stations, however, often serve smaller populations and have more limited donor networks, making them more reliant on federal funding.
For example, WNYC, New York City’s public radio station, is expected to lose about $3 million annually due to federal cuts, a hit that amounts to just 4% of its budget. In contrast, WSKG, which serves a large rural area in New York’s Southern Tier, anticipates a $1.3 million loss, representing 21% of its annual funding. Meanwhile, Mountain Lake PBS, which serves the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley, stands to lose roughly $950,000 a year, or 35% of its budget.
Mountain Lake PBS plays a vital role in its community. According to Jennifer Kowalczyk, the station’s director of marketing and engagement, it was the only broadcaster to televise Plattsburgh’s mayoral debate last year.
“It’s not just that we want to produce coverage, it’s that the people of this region deserve to have local media that covers them and reflects their stories and shows that we are still here,” she said.
North Country Public Radio (NCPR), a rural station serving the North Country region along with parts of Vermont and Ontario, Canada, is bracing for an annual funding loss of approximately $340,000, roughly 12% to 15% of its total budget.
With a news staff of just six people, NCPR has traditionally relied on support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to purchase national programming from outlets like National Public Radio and American Public Media. To offset the anticipated shortfall, the station now plans to lean more heavily on alternative funding sources, including small donors, business underwriters, and philanthropic foundations.
