WDET braces for budget hit after public radio cuts
Why it matters: Public radio and TV stations don't just provide news, but also critical information alerts that can mean life or death for local communities.
Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts and natural disaster advisories are among the public safety warnings that are broadcast on local stations.
State of play: The cuts they're facing were included in a sweeping rescissions package to claw back more than $9 billion in federal spending.
The bill cut nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through 2026 and 2027, marking a devastating blow for PBS and NPR.
Yes, but: While the cuts target NPR and PBS, the national organizations won't feel much of the impact.
Only around 1% and 15% of NPR's and PBS' national revenue comes through CPB, respectively.
The majority of federal funding is allocated to local member stations, which use it for day-to-day operations.
What they're saying: WDET (101.9 FM) is asking listeners to donate more in light of the recent cuts.
"It is a huge kick in the gut to WDET," general manager Mary Zatina told Fox 2. "It's going to create a giant hole in our budget."
Follow the money: WDET was among nearly 20 public TV and radio stations in Michigan that received CPB grants totaling $10 million in 2023, CPB documents show.
Detroit Public Television got almost $2.2 million, the highest allocation that year.
WDET received $262,191.
The average CPB amount received that year among 12 Michigan public radio stations from Ypsilanti to Marquette was $201,598.
Zoom out: Once a broadcaster is shuttered, it's unlikely its spectrum license ever returns to a community news station, PBS CEO Paula Kerger explained in a recent interview with the Washington Post.
"I can imagine they would be auctioned off for whatever purpose and you won't have a local television station again in a community."
Many stations are based in rural communities that are most heavily reliant on federal government funding to survive.
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