(Updated April 15, 2025)
This week, several outlets (, and , among others) reported that the White House has announced its intent to submit a rescission proposal, which would claw back money which was to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The request is to rescind , which was to be allocated to CPB over the next two years.
The elimination of these funds represents an existential crisis to the independent public radio and television stations around the country that receive the bulk of that funding.
¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾, like all Public Radio stations, is locally managed and makes programming and service decisions to address our unique community needs. That work is funded, in part, by the CPB.
We've put together these frequently asked questions about how public media funding works, and what impact the absence of that funding may have on ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾. If you have other questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at wunc@wunc.org.
What just happened?Â
On April 14, the White House announced plans to submit a formal rescission proposal to Congress to eliminate previously appropriated funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). If submitted, the proposal would trigger a 45-day review period in Congress. While CPB had already been funded through 2027 by Congress, this executive proposal aims to eliminate those funds and signals an unprecedented effort to eliminate federal support for public media.When the formal proposal is sent to Congress, lawmakers will have 45 days to either act to rescind the funds, or reject the proposal.
That means your voice—right now—can help stop it. Public media funding makes up a small fraction of the federal budget, but its impact is enormous, particularly for rural, underserved, and emergency-prone communities. ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾, NPR, PBS, and stations across the country are now facing a direct and immediate threat to our ability to serve the public.
What can I do to help?
If you value the journalism, storytelling, cultural programming, and community service that ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ provides, we urge you to take action today.
Visit to send a message to your members of Congress. Tell them you support federal funding for public media and ask them to reject this rescission proposal. It takes only a minute, and your voice is a powerful defense against these cuts.
Public media has always been supported by the communities it serves — and right now, that support matters more than ever.
Continuing ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾'s mission will also require your ongoing and continuous generous support. If you're already a ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ supporter, thank you. If not, now is an excellent time to join or increase your support.
How can I take action to advocate for continued support of public media?
The biggest thing you can do is make your voice heard by your members of Congress, who control the appropriations process. To find who your representatives are, visit . You can also tell your friends why public media is important to you.
Local community support is our largest and most stable source of funding, and no matter how this shakes out, continuing our public service will require your ongoing support. If you're already a contributing member, thank you! If you're not, or if you can give more generously, now is an excellent time to join or increase your support.
How much CPB funding does ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ receive?
Approximately 5% of ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾'s budgeted revenue comes from the CPB, about $800,000. That amount is calculated using a complex formula that takes into account our region's population and how much funding we are able to raise locally from donations by individuals and support from small businesses and organizations.
That cash value, however, is only one way that CPB funds directly support the work ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ does. Stations across the country, like ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾, rely on pooled resources from CPB including satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, the ability to license music, and the technological infrastructure that our website is built on. The whole network would be impacted in ways that would also impact ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾. The estimated costs to ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ to replace all of those pooled resources is $1.3 million.
What would happen if ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ lost CPB funding?
Loss of CPB funding could mean:
- Reduced capacity for local and statewide journalism
- Changes to or elimination of national programming from NPR
- An increased cost in infrastructure for digital and broadcast
- Increased dependence on individual donations to maintain core services
What is ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ doing to prepare for this possibility?
¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ is preparing for this possibility on many fronts. We are in conversations with other public media organizations around the country through the to coordinate efforts and advocacy. Paul Hunton, ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾'s President and General Manager is a member of the NPR board and so has additional insight to what NPR is doing to prepare. ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ is planning a communications, programming, and budget strategy to ensure that, even in the face of potential federal cuts, we can continue delivering programming and news you rely on every day.
This includes prioritizing the most essential services to our listeners, identifying cost-saving measures that preserve newsroom capacity, and accelerating efforts to diversify our revenue through community support, philanthropy, and strategic partnerships. Our goal is to protect the core of our mission: To serve North Carolinians with fact-based, meaningful content, regardless of the political environment in Washington.
We are developing a contingency plan for the potential loss of funding. And we're keeping our supporters and audience informed about what's going on and how you can help.
Why is public broadcasting needed when we can get news and content from so many sources?
Local public media stations provide critical information — always free of charge — to help citizens make informed decisions.
Recent ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ stories about K-12 education have helped North Carolinians understand the reasons why most school districts are losing students, coverage about proposed cuts to the EPA helped explain the potential impact on Research Triangle Park and the region's deep scientific research history. ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ has covered immigration crackdowns and their impact on international students across the state and explained funding cuts to public universities and their impact. During the 2024 election, ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ reporters examined why North Carolinians voted for a Republican for president and a Democrat for governor and explained where the candidates stood on the issues North Carolinians care about.
With the number of local journalists declining nationwide and increased division and isolation in our country, independent and nonprofit public media organizations like ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ continue to provide a high level of service to communities. Public media abides by rigorous ethical standards to ensure our content cannot be influenced by commercial interests. In a time where anyone can post their opinion to social media, journalism grounded in rigorous fact-checking is essential to inform decisions that affect our health and safety, our finances, our democracy and our future.
Why does ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ (or any station) need federal funding?
Even though supporter and local business support makes up the bulk of ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾'s funding, federal funding — which costs an average of — makes public media as you currently know it possible.
CPB's investment directly supports local stations across the country and enables them to provide essential programs and services. If federal funding is eliminated, public media stations could be forced to cut some or all of the following:
- Signature educational content as set forth in the
- Important public safety communications during natural disasters
- Professional development and resources for teachers
- Music and cultural programming
- Local newsrooms and personnel providing information essential to the well-being of local communities
Some stations, particularly those in rural areas securing a larger percentage of their revenue from the CPB, could even be forced off the air. In many rural communities, public media stations are the only local sources of news.
Stable funding from the CPB and other sources have made it possible for ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ to establish a strong system of local news reporting which North Carolinians can rely upon over a long period of time.
What is the CPB's role in public broadcasting?
The CPB is distinct from both NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, but an independent, nonprofit organization created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: To serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund programming, stations and technology.
Funding for CPB is established through the federal budget annual appropriations process two years in advance with the intention of insulating funding from political pressures. Its total appropriation is currently over $500 million. The CPB is responsible for allocating their funds from the federal budget in any way that fulfills their mission: To ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial free and free of charge.
Most CPB funding goes directly to local stations so they can decide how best to program for their communities.
- Public media reaches 99% of the U.S. population and serves millions of Americans every day.
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent nonprofit that distributes federal dollars (an average of $1.60 per American annually) to local stations. That money is used to invest in programming and services according to each community's needs.
- About 5% of ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾'s annual funding comes from the CPB.
- CPB funding allows public media stations to pool resources towards satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, music licensing and development of educational programs, all of which would be too expensive for stations to do on their own.
- Cuts to federal funding would negatively impact the ability for rural stations to serve the people who need it most. Learn more at .
What has happened up to this point?
- March 14: Congress passes a Continuing Resolution including CPB funding through fiscal year 2027
- March 26: NPR and PBS CEOs testify before Congress at a hearing targeting CPB funding.
- April 14: The White House announces plans to rescind CPB funds through a formal proposal to Congress
A reminder of what you can do:
- Send a message to Congress -
- Learn about CPB's role in public media -
- Donate to ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾
