President Donald Trump has requested Congress to retract $9.4 billion in previously approved spending, a move affecting Montana’s public media funding. This rescission proposal threatens organizations like Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana Public Radio, Montana PBS, and Bozeman-based KGLT with a $2.6 million deficit. Montana PBS faces the largest impact, receiving nearly 70% of the affected funds.
Following Trump’s earlier executive order to reduce public media funding, he criticized these entities for spreading what he labeled as “radical, woke propaganda.” Both PBS and NPR are legally challenging this order. The proposed rescission includes eliminating 12% of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides crucial support to local stations.
Aaron Pruitt, Montana PBS’s director, highlighted that CPB funding constitutes a significant portion of local stations’ operational budgets. Montana PBS, which offers free channels and emergency alerts, anticipates a $1.8 million cut, affecting 20% of its budget.
Ken Siebert, general manager of Yellowstone Public Radio, noted that CPB grants cover essential services like music licensing and national reporting. Losing funding would force YPR to manage a $438,000 increase in costs, impacting their budget considerably.
Anne Hosler of Montana Public Radio emphasized their unique local programming, with 50% locally produced content. MTPR faces a $353,000 loss, about 11% of their budget, underlining the risk to Montana’s cultural broadcasting.
While Montana’s congressional delegation provided varied responses, Republican U.S. Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing supported the rescission, highlighting it as part of reducing government waste. However, local station leaders like Pruitt and Siebert refrained from detailing potential cuts, citing the difficulty of such decisions.
Public media in Montana also relies on state university support and viewer donations, with CPB accounting for roughly 16% of funding. As Trump’s executive order is contested in court, Congressional approval of the rescission could diminish options for public media.
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