• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Musk Calls for NPR and PBS Defunding

Status
Not open for further replies.
I still expect NPR to be defunded, but some sort of provision will need to be made for Alaska.

It won't come from the federal government. Alaska is very dependent on federal funding. Alaska receives $10 million a year from CPB. These cuts will affect a lot more than just public radio. Alaska gets $2 billion in federal funding for medicaid. That money will go away if this house bill passes.
 
Probably the best argument I've heard for not defunding NPR has to do with Alaska. In the Alaskan bush you have a sparse population spread over very wide areas that still relies on radio for most of their news and information because it's not economically feasible to build a 5G network for those reasons. Many of the stations are 10kW AMs and are public because a commercial station would not be economically viable in many cases. They provide EAS coverage as well as other services (relaying messages to people out in the bush, etc.) That's a real-world practical problem I grant you. I still expect NPR to be defunded, but some sort of provision will need to be made for Alaska.
The State of Alaska has no shortage of money - oil money, as in black gold, Texas tea. They could easily support public radio without any help from the Feds. Alaska Native Corporations are another source of potential funding.
 
The State of Alaska has no shortage of money - oil money, as in black gold, Texas tea. They could easily support public radio without any help from the Feds. Alaska Native Corporations are another source of potential funding.

That's not what the governor says. The cost of living is very high in Alaska. They don't have a state income tax. When the price of oil goes down, that's bad for oil producing states. Here's a story from today about Anchorage cutting the school budget:


 
Probably the best argument I've heard for not defunding NPR has to do with Alaska. In the Alaskan bush you have a sparse population spread over very wide areas that still relies on radio for most of their news and information because it's not economically feasible to build a 5G network for those reasons. Many of the stations are 10kW AMs and are public because a commercial station would not be economically viable in many cases. They provide EAS coverage as well as other services (relaying messages to people out in the bush, etc.) That's a real-world practical problem I grant you. I still expect NPR to be defunded, but some sort of provision will need to be made for Alaska.

KSKO and KIYU shut off our AMs because it was costing $60,000 a year in generator fuel to power them.. the towers were outside of town not on mains power. We got class D FMs that can be filed for at anytime, with no filing window needed. They are stations not translators and could but dont originate their own programming.

The only public AM still left on generator power is KZPA

KBBI and KBRW are on city power i think.

Our cell network is 2G.. cant even send picture text messages.

EAS is mostly useless up here... my source is 250 miles away in anchorage.
 
The State of Alaska has no shortage of money - oil money, as in black gold, Texas tea. They could easily support public radio without any help from the Feds. Alaska Native Corporations are another source of potential funding.
The state has veto'd funding for us for 10 years after previously doing it for many years

The native corps and health corps play a big part in public radio here with funding and support.. but state funding and native corp funding would be nowhere near enough money. The state only gave $1 to $2 mil per year....a larger station but still in the bush, KYUK.. with 3 or 4 news people alone, a tv station and Yupik staff.. could use that entire state money themselves. The state was only giving stationd $50,000 ish.

$50k would keep KSKO running for not even 6 months.. and provide no money for repairs, engineering services and wed have even less staff than we do now.. one full time manager, one part time announcer who does nothing else, a part time remote office manager and a contract accountant. Our electricity alone at HQ is $1500 a month. Our internet bills for HQ and all our remote sites are about $1500 a month.... our salary expenses are probably about $5 grand a month. That doesnt account for phone service, postage, bathroom or office supplies.. etc
 
The state has veto'd funding for us for 10 years after previously doing it for many years

The native corps and health corps play a big part in public radio here with funding and support.. but state funding and native corp funding would be nowhere near enough money. The state only gave $1 to $2 mil per year....a larger station but still in the bush, KYUK.. with 3 or 4 news people alone, a tv station and Yupik staff.. could use that entire state money themselves. The state was only giving stationd $50,000 ish.

$50k would keep KSKO running for not even 6 months.. and provide no money for repairs, engineering services and wed have even less staff than we do now.. one full time manager, one part time announcer who does nothing else, a part time remote office manager and a contract accountant. Our electricity alone at HQ is $1500 a month. Our internet bills for HQ and all our remote sites are about $1500 a month.... our salary expenses are probably about $5 grand a month. That doesnt account for phone service, postage, bathroom or office supplies.. etc
Don't take this the wrong way, but your descriptions of your station keep reminding me of K-BHR on Northern Exposure.

I'm puzzled that the Permanent Fund, which pays dividends to each Alaskan each year, can't find money for public radio stations in the Bush. And if Trump's tariffs cut-off oil from Canada, which I understand is the largest source of oil for the US, or his plans to take over Gaza cut-off oil from OPEC, the price of oil is likely to skyrocket and the Permanent Fund will have more money than it knows what to do with.
 
I'm puzzled that the Permanent Fund, which pays dividends to each Alaskan each year, can't find money for public radio stations in the Bush.

One would seem to think their first priority would be the schools. And they're cutting school budgets. This is before they lose DOE funding.
 
These folks in congress are hurting their home states, and they don't know it.
The idea they don’t realize they’re hurting their own states is not plausible. They know; they don’t care in this case. These are people who take credit for things they voted against (like the infrastructure bill). They know this performative game. It’s just not one of the things they’re going to do the dance to support because they loathe public…anything.
This will translate to job losses for people in Utah, and more local taxes for people in Utah. But hey, they think they're cutting propaganda by defunding children's TV. They have no idea what they're doing.
Oh they know very well.
As far as the house budget deal, a lot of the money they're cutting is aid to the states. So all they're doing is passing on those costs to the states, where they'll have to increase taxes to make up the loss.
Which is awesome for the federal folks seeking re-election. Don’t blame me—blame them.
That's the plan. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. States like West Virginia and Louisiana stand to lose the most money. Who did they vote for?
The same people they’re going to vote for next time and the time after that.
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but your descriptions of your station keep reminding me of K-BHR on Northern Exposure.

I'm puzzled that the Permanent Fund, which pays dividends to each Alaskan each year, can't find money for public radio stations in the Bush. And if Trump's tariffs cut-off oil from Canada, which I understand is the largest source of oil for the US, or his plans to take over Gaza cut-off oil from OPEC, the price of oil is likely to skyrocket and the Permanent Fund will have more money than it knows what to do with.

No offense taken, i proudly refer to KSKO as the closest real life example to Northern Exposure youll ever find.

Up until 2 years ago, the mayor was my morning man. I have a volunteer whos an EMT, pilot, airplane mechanic, welder, ham radio op, substitute teacher and cuts my hair if i ask nicely. Back when the mayor worked for me, i was one of the only two people in town who could tell him what to do.

We announce moose sightings, etc

It's not that they cant find it, they don't want to. Their version of veto'ing the funding is what government wants to do to CPB as a whole
 
No offense taken, i proudly refer to KSKO as the closest real life example to Northern Exposure youll ever find.

Up until 2 years ago, the mayor was my morning man. I have a volunteer whos an EMT, pilot, airplane mechanic, welder, ham radio op, substitute teacher and cuts my hair if i ask nicely. Back when the mayor worked for me, i was one of the only two people in town who could tell him what to do.

We announce moose sightings, etc

It's not that they cant find it, they don't want to. Their version of veto'ing the funding is what government wants to do to CPB as a whole
Maybe someday a rich former astronaut will show up with a bag of money. ;)

Very cool. When I'm up early, I often stream CBC Radio One in St. John's, Newfoundland-Labrador for the first feed of CBC News' World Report. Their traffic reporter announces moose sightings, too.
 
Maybe someday a rich former astronaut will show up with a bag of money. ;)

Very cool. When I'm up early, I often stream CBC Radio One in St. John's, Newfoundland-Labrador for the first feed of CBC News' World Report. Their traffic reporter announces moose sightings, too.

We have a live, local morning show 7 to 9 and live local afternoons 12-5 and we stream. I think listening might open up your perspective a little
 
Elvira (Cassandra Peterson), wearing a "Make America Goth Again" hat, donates her Tesla to NPR.


elonsux.png
 
Elvira (Cassandra Peterson), wearing a "Make America Goth Again" hat, donates her Tesla to NPR.


elonsux.png
I would like to know which local NPR affiliates are getting Sheryl Crows and Cassandra Peterson old Tesla cars. Yes donating their old cars to local NPR affiliate is a big thing in some places. I knew of KQED San Francisco doing this during the weekend pledge programming and PBS affiliate KVIE Sacramento doing the same thing. it would be nice to see the local station celebrate that they got Sheryl Crows and Cassandra Peterson Tesla's in their promos for pledge programming in their areas if they want to do that.
 

Well Toyota Prius still exists in 2025. Yes prior to Teslas getting all the attention in the car world, the Toyota Prius at one point was praised for being innovative in the 2000’s as a gas electric hybrid cars were then transitioning from the experimental phase to production and everyday use to the public.

That’s if the people boycotting Teslas want to go there. Also I cannot wait to see the Local NPR affiliate put out a press release that they got Sheryl Crows car value from the Teslas sent to them and put it to their news operations.
 
The Prius is a great car.

In a way, hybrids are a metaphor for a coming together of the Right and the Left. A perfect compromise.
 



Again Senator Kennedy of Louisiana can brag all he wants about defunding NPR and PBS but they affect the local stations in the state getting funds from CPB.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.


Back
Top Bottom