Mic'd Up

Dear KOTO community,

Wow, it’s hard to keep up, isn’t it?! By the time you read this, the future has probably already moved on. Regardless…

I awoke to a flurry of emails and news notifications about the latest executive order this Friday morning. The current Administration in Washington wants to end federal funding for NPR and PBS and is directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease funding of the nation’s primary public broadcasters, claiming ideological bias.

While it’s not clear whether the president has the authority to make such orders to CPB — it’s not a federal executive agency but rather a private nonprofit corporation — it sure got my phone and inbox buzzing!

Public media is essential to a healthy democracy. The executive order to defund NPR and PBS is disheartening, to say the least. It would be a deafening silence.

If Congress were to approve this proposal, local stations like KOTO would still get CPB funding. However, the executive order seems to suggest that funding may be contingent upon whether or not we continue airing NPR. You can read it here.

This proposal is separate and apart from the Administration’s recent pledge to ask Congress to rescind all funds already approved for public broadcasting. Congress allocates federal funding for CPB and specifies how it shall be spent. The funding is appropriated in advance, in two-year cycles.

CPB helps support more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations across the country, including KOTO. We receive what’s called a Community Service Grant from the CPB to tune of around $190K annually. It goes up a bit each year, so in theory, we’d be looking at an approximate budget deficit of 30 percent. If the rescission proposal passes, it would claw back already approved funding by Congress for 2026 and 2027.

The entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting budget costs Americans just $1.60 each year. This is not a big savings to taxpayers whereas a well-informed public is… well, what is it worth? Unfortunately, we may find out.

At this time, no final decisions have been made on either of these proposals, but the takeaway is that for small, rural stations like KOTO that rely on CPB funding to help sustain essential services, it could have serious implications.

Why This Matters
While most of KOTO’s funding comes from listener support, other grant funding and event revenues, federal support fills critical gaps. CPB funds allow us to:

• Provide educational and cultural programming,
• Maintain aging broadcast infrastructure
• Offer free access to local news and public affairs programming, in both English and Spanish,
• Disseminate lifesaving emergency alerts in real-time,
• And, entertain, educate and inform 24/7/365

Without this funding, our ability to serve the community could be at risk.

What You Can Do
Again, although no action has been taken yet, public awareness and advocacy are essential in ensuring Congress understands how vital public media is to our democracy and our culture. Here’s how you can help:

1. Support KOTO: Your local support ensures we remain strong, no matter what happens in Washington. Consider arranging a meaningful annual gift or donate anytime at KOTO.org. Mark your calendar for July 18th, specifically. That’s when our on-air pledge drive begins and we are counting on KOTO’s loyal supporters to show up big.
2. Share This Message: Help spread the word that federal funding for public media is under discussion — and public input matters.
3. Stay Informed and Vocal: Reach out to your elected officials. Let them know that funding public media is important to you. Congress is the last line of defense against this threat to public media.

Visit this website: protectmypublicmedia.org for the easiest and most effective way to advocate for public media. You can send an already drafted message to lawmakers, specifically those whose constituents are served by KOTO — Rep. Jeff Hurd, Sen. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Michael Bennet.

KOTO celebrates 50 years of independent, non-underwritten community radio in 2025, thanks to your support. We fully intend to keep the music on and the mission alive for another 50.

Yours in radio,
Cara Pallone
Executive Director

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Message from CPB’s President & CEO

Patricia Harrison sent this message to stations Friday afternoon.

Dear Colleagues,

Late last night, President Trump issued an Executive Order instructing the CPB Board of Directors to (1) cease direct Federal Funding for NPR and PBS; (2) decline to provide future funding; and (3) cease indirect funding to NPR and PBS, including by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use Federal funds for NPR and PBS.

While this is concerning, we believe it has no effect on CPB, since CPB is not a federal agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.

Accordingly, CPB will not be adding any additional conditions or restrictions on our Community Service Grants. Payments will continue to go to our grantees per their grant agreements.

The Executive Order comes a few days after the Administration sent emails to three members of CPB’s Board of Directors stating they are fired effective immediately. We immediately filed a lawsuit to say the Administration has no authority to terminate any of CPB’s board members. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of holding a hearing on our motion for a temporary restraining order, which seeks to block the president’s actions until the case can be fully heard. The hearing is scheduled for May 14.

The Court recognized the potential harm to CPB from governmental interference. The ruling is a first step to protect public media and affirm the rule of law. CPB is looking forward to presenting its position in full as the case develops.

And, as you may know, the Administration plans to send a rescission request to Congress. It has been rumored that it would take back more than $1.1 billion from CPB, which appears to match what has been approved by Congress for CPB for FY 2026 and FY 2027. It is our current understanding that work on a rescission bill is still fluid and the fate of NPR and PBS in it is unsettled.

We are doing everything we can to protect public media, including informing Members of Congress and decision makers about the millions of Americans who rely on, value, and benefit from public media across the country.

CPB’s Board met today to discuss these unprecedented threats. You can listen to a recording of the meeting here. Board Chair Ruby Calvert, who served as General Manager of Wyoming PBS, noted that she knows firsthand the valuable services that public media provides to all Americans, in urban and rural communities. “All of us on this Board are dedicated to responsibly managing the funds CPB receives to best serve the American public.”

We agree with Ruby’s point that public media has a vital place in a landscape of news and information. At the same time, Americans have the right to expect that when their tax dollars fund public media, they get only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage. We applaud our board for their leadership and willingness to protect and defend the mission of public media.

We appreciate your efforts in this fight, as well as those of our national partners, PBS, NPR, and APTS.

I am proud of the resilience and dedication I have seen across the system. Your efforts ensure that public media remains a cornerstone of our shared democracy. Together, we will navigate these challenges, guided by our shared commitment to service, education, and community.

Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work. Together, we will keep calm and carry on.