Missouri public broadcasters launch emergency drives to offset federal cuts

By Rudi Keller

Missouri Independent

Some Missouri public broadcasters launched emergency fund drives Friday while others warned of cutbacks to programming after Congress voted to eliminate $1.1 billion in federal support for public media nationwide.

There are nine radio stations affiliated with National Public Radio and four television stations that are part of the Public Broadcasting Service in Missouri media markets, along with some smaller community radio stations, that receive funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Funding from Congress goes to the corporation, which then distributes money to the stations.

Those broadcasters received about $7.6 million in community service grants in federal fiscal year 2024, the most recent completed year, according to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“This vote weakens one of the most trusted civic institutions in America,” Kyle Felling, general manager of KBIA in Columbia, said in a news release. “Stripping away already-approved funding puts the work we do every day at risk — reporting trusted facts, delivering emergency alerts, and connecting our community.”

Missouri U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, who handled the rescission bill in the Senate, said on Fox News Friday that he was proud to be the one leading the fight to eliminate public broadcaster funding.

“We got the federal government out of the business of subsidizing NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” Schmitt said. “They are woke, biased, and ideologically captured. They don’t deserve tax dollars.”

Since President Donald Trump sent a request for cuts of $9.4 billion from current spending to Congress in June, the stations have been using their websites and airwaves to seek extra donations and mobilize listeners.

The final 216-213 House vote came Friday morning, just after midnight. Every Republican member of the Missouri delegation voted for the cuts except U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison of Springfield, who was absent. The state’s two Democratic House members voted against it.

The Trump administration’s well-telegraphed intent to cut funding for public broadcasting had boosted station fundraising even before the vote, Felling said. An annual May fund drive, he said, raised more than three times the amount it did a year ago.

“After the cuts overnight, I’ve seen my inbox flooded with messages of support and contributions,” Felling said via email. “The community recognizes the importance of what we do, the value of independent and trusted reporting.”

At KCUR, the emergency fund drive began at 7 a.m. Friday and will continue at least through Monday, Karen Campbell, director of institutional giving and communications, said in an email. Along with the direct cash grant the station lost, it will have to pick up costs previously covered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, she wrote.

The response so far, she said, has been very positive.

“While we are buoyed by this support and the kind words that accompany these gifts, we know that we have a long road ahead,” Campbell wrote.

Dylan Martin, executive director of community radio station KOPN in Columbia, said the lost federal funding is about 40% of the station’s cash budget. The station has always been lean, he said, with two paid staff currently.

In addition to lost cash, there are new costs, he said.

“In addition to grant funds, CPB had negotiated and paid for music licensing fees for broadcast and internet streaming for qualified CPB recipients,” Martin said. “As a station that broadcasts a significant amount of diverse music, KOPN will have to cover this in addition to the shortfall of grant funds.”

At Ozarks Public Broadcasting in Springfield, which combines operations for KSMU radio and KOZK-TV in Springfield, General Manager Rachel Knight went on the air Friday morning to explain the impact. The cut is about $1.3 million total, she said, approximately 10% of the radio station budget and one-third of the television budget.

“Like we’ve been saying over the last several months as we knew this was looming, these won’t be invisible cuts,” Knight told the audience. “I mean, we operate so efficiently right now that there’s nothing easy to cut.”

The stations have not launched formal emergency fundraising campaigns, Knight said in an email to The Independent, but the public is calling to give.

“Our phones have stayed busy this morning and web pledges are coming in fast,” Knight said. “We’re hearing frustration and disappointment from our audience in Congress’ decision to defund public media. They want to see our services continue and are stepping up with additional support.”

St. Louis Public Radio, operating with the call letters KWMU, will lose about $575,000 — about 6% of its annual revenue — and face the same increased costs for pooled programming and services previously provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the station said in a news release.

“Public media has always served as a pillar of democracy, with broad support that transcends party lines,” interim General Manager Jess Luther said in the release. “Our elected leaders’ decision to rescind this funding dangerously diminishes the free flow of information, especially to communities that have few other sources of news and emergency alerts. When we say this is dangerous, we mean it literally.”

In addition to KOZK in Springfield, the PBS stations in Missouri are KMOS in Warrensburg, KCPT in Kansas City and KETC in St. Louis.

KMOS is an important resource for a region where 70% of the audience is rural and 17% have no internet access, General Manager Josh Tomlinson said.

“First and foremost, while the federal funding for public media is gone KMOS is not,” he said.

The federal funding represents about 40% of the station budget, he said.

“I can’t rule out the loss of programming or other services but we are not taking a panicked approach. Instead we are looking at everything strategically,” he said. “The community’s response has been remarkable. We have heard from hundreds of viewers who have offered support and many more have contacted lawmakers on our behalf.”

For KCPT, the loss is about 13% of the station budget, according to an online statement about its emergency fund drive.

“For nearly 60 years, Kansas City PBS has been a trusted source of education, culture, and connection,” Kliff Kuehl, president and CEO of Kansas City PBS said in the online statement. “This loss of funding is a significant challenge, but we have always been powered by the people we serve and we will continue to inform, inspire and connect.”

In a message to viewers on its website, KETC President and CEO Amy Shaw thanked viewers for donations and advocating for the station with messages to Congress. The cut is about $1.8 million, she said, about 13% of the budget.

“This was not the outcome we hoped for and fought for,” Shaw said. “However, Nine PBS’s commitment to serve the St. Louis region remains stronger than ever.”