Yesterday, (6/4/25) the White House officially delivered a rescissions package to Congress that would claw back public media funding. Congress has a very limited timeframe to act on this measure (about 45 session days), but *a vote in the House could take place in the coming days.* Rural Public Radio stations are encouraging listeners to urge your representatives and senators in Congress to oppose this rescission and maintain level funding for public radio. The message that needs to be delivered is that rural public radio is vital to our communities, culture, and public safety and that a rescission of funding or any cuts to public media funding needs to be opposed.
May 1st President Trump issued an Executive Order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease direct Federal Funding for NPR and PBS. 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. Lawsuits have been filed by CPB, NPR and PBS.
KWSO receives a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. That funding makes up about 40% of the operations budget and pays for a couple full time positions as well as for National Program Acquisition. KWSO is an NPR Affiliate, The station carries top of the hour news from NPR in the mornings and All Things Considered from NPR in the afternoon.
Listeners can send a message to your representation in Washington DC in support of KWSO and Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding saying “rural public radio is vital to our communities, culture, and public safety and any rescission of funding or any cuts to public media funding needs to be opposed.”
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/connect/contact/
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/
https://bentz.house.gov/contact
