BETHLEHEM, Pa. - On Thursday, President Trump signed an 聽 that said in part:
"The CPB Board shall cease direct funding to NPR and PBS, consistent with my Administration's policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage."
That order will likely end up challenged in court, but another effort is underway to defund public news organizations by cutting the funding in the budget reconciliation bill in Congress. Texas Representative Brandon Gill explained why.
"The American people are sick of funding institutions who promote values that they find repugnant, and that's what we're doing with NPR and PBS," said Rep. Gill.
Lehigh Valley Public Media CEO Laks Srinivasan said organizations like his are getting caught in the crossfire of national politics.
"I think what the administration is talking about is kind of the national organizations of NPR and PBS," said Srinivasan.
But Srinivasan said it's having a major effect on local organizations like his.
"For our fiscal year '25 budget, right, the CPB represents about 20% of our revenue," said Srinivasan.
"WDIY receives roughly $100,000, or 15% of our annual budget, from the CPB," said WDIY Executive Director Margaret McConnell.
McConnell said, if that funding really does disappear, it will make her station's job harder for the six hours a day they're on the air during the work week, and two hours a day on the weekends.
"I would need to look for partners to produce the content, or get volunteers to fill those six hours of content," said McConnell.
"How can we do three times more with much less?" said Srinivasan.
Srinivasan and McConnell said the only way is with more local support.
"What we really need to do is one, beef up individual donations from community," said McConnell.
"We are going to need the community more than ever," said Srinivasan.
