5 days ago
WQLN president and CEO speaks on potential loss of federal funds
WQLN, a public media station in Erie County, faces a potential loss of $1.2 million in federal funding, which constitutes 40% of its operating budget, due to proposed cuts by Congress.
The proposed cuts would rescind funds already appropriated for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, significantly impacting WQLN's ability to deliver services to the community. This funding is crucial for the station's operations, which include educational programming and emergency communications.
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'That would greatly impact the operations that we do and the ability to deliver services to the community that we have been providing for close to 60 years,' said Alyson Amendola, Vice President of Advancement at WQLN.
WQLN is known for its children's programming and also provides in-person educational programs to communities in need. The station's education department operates a mobile classroom, the Stream Machine, to reach children who do not attend formal preschool.
Cindy Spizarny, president and CEO of WQLN, highlighted the station's role in providing critical communications during emergencies, such as Amber alerts and severe weather warnings, especially in rural areas lacking strong cell service.
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Alyson Amendola emphasized that the issue is not about bias or NPR and PBS, but about local broadcast stations delivering essential services to meet community needs.
The potential funding cuts threaten WQLN's ability to continue its educational and emergency services, which have been vital to the community for decades. Supporters are urged to contact legislators to prevent the rescission of funds.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published.
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