Local news at risk after US House votes to rescind funding
US Senate votes next whether to claw back $1.1 billion from public media
Community radio and television stations around the country are detailing what’s at stake for them if Congress goes along with a White House request to not only stop funding public media, but to also claw back the previous appropriation.
In Rochester, New York, for example, a dedicated web page explains what the massive budget cuts would mean for the quarter-million people living in western New York. At the top of the list? The local newsroom and personnel that gather and report information essential to the community’s well-being. Like all affiliates of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, WXXI receives federal funding through a formula based on listenership. The greater Rochester area will lose about $1.9 million, leaving the community to make up the gap in funding for its local PBS and NPR stations.
The loss of local news coverage also tops the list at WFIT in Melbourne, Fla. (pop. 84,678), where the public radio station stands to lose about 25 percent of its annual budget. The NPR affiliate is a service of Florida Tech, which produces its own news programs that reflect the brainy nature of the Tier 1 research university community near the Kennedy Space Center. Three hours up the coast in Jacksonville, WJCT says it stands to lose $1.5 million from the clawback.
The Dallas affiliate, KERA has been acquiring and partnering with local media for several years in an effort to shore up local news reporting for a fast-growing area of 8.1 million people and counting. In recent years, KERA News added reporters in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Collin County and acquired the Denton Record-Chronicle in Denton County. The station partners with The Dallas Morning News to produce broad coverage of the North Texas arts scene. It is also the lead station a statewide collaboration of Texas public radio stations. The stations share each other’s reporting, and also share their stories with NPR, which improves the quality of reporting out of Texas. On its dedicated webpage, KERA doesn’t say how much federal funding it would lose with the clawback, but the nonprofit publishes its past financials here.
PBS released a statement after the vote in the US House. In the statement, they highlighted that millions of Americans oppose the cuts. They also explain the impact if the Senate agrees to rescind its previous allocations. The bill, known as HR 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, is now in the Senate. If the Senate does not pass the bill by July 18, the rescission will expire.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing to review the bill at 2:30 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, June 25. Senate rules do allow the bill to pass on a simple majority, and do not allow the bill to be blocked by a filibuster. But the Senate can also make changes. See the full membership list of the Appropriations Committee here.
More information at Protect My Public Media.
This FCC Actions Alert is produced by the volunteers at the Community Media Assistance Project under the direction of CMAP Executive Director, Betty McArdle. We monitor many sources of information about the Federal Communications Commission, federal communications law, and community developments important to your station and your community. The information provided in this newsletter is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on the content herein. If you have a news tip, please email us at betty@c-map.org.
Communications Act of 1934, Sect. 326.
Nothing in this Act shall be understood or construed to give the Commission the power of censorship over the radio communications or signals transmitted by any radio station, and no regulation or condition shall be promulgated or fixed by the Commission which shall interfere with the right of free speech by means of radio communication.