On Monday, the White House called on Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in funding from the public broadcasters. Once this request is formally submitted, Congress will have 45 days to adopt or reject the request.
KCUR is one of the 1,300 locally and independently managed stations that are funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in addition to NPR and PBS.
This rescission would not be an immediate cut to KCUR’s funding, NPR, PBS or other public media stations. Rather, it would eliminate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding that had already been approved by Congress over the next two years.
As we’ve shared before, KCUR and our sister station, Classical KC, are funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through an annual Community Service Grant. And we rely on pooled resources from CPB including satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, the ability to collectively license music and to develop educational programs.
The whole network would be impacted in ways that would also impact KCUR and Classical KC.
It is clear that — as we have been anticipating — efforts are underway to defund and delegitimize the work of the CPB, PBS and NPR.
Our mission here at KCUR and Classical KC remains unchanged.
“We will continue to provide high-quality news and deliver programs that inspire, inform and reflect the voices of the Kansas City region," KCUR General Manager Sarah Morris affirms. "KCUR and Classical KC were created as a public service. That means it is for, by and about everyone. It belongs to all of us."
Just in the last few weeks, the journalists at KCUR and its collaborative partners have published stories on how changes to the U.S. Postal Service will impact rural residents, explained how Midwest cities can save migrating birds, reported on an election that passed the first Kansas City Public Schools bond in 60 years, and broke the news of proposed public transit cuts in Kansas City.
The majority of the support for KCUR and Classical KC — more than 80% of it — comes from a strong and broad base of this community: individual members, business sponsors and partners, event attendees and local and national foundations. Because of this strong base, we do not (and will never) have a paywall.
In order to continue our mission of serving this community, we will rely on our supporters to champion our work in the days and weeks ahead.
What can KCUR supporters do right now?
We encourage you to stay informed by signing up for free alerts from the nonprofit public media advocacy organization, Protect My Public Media.
If you are already a member, thank you. If you are not yet a member and wish to support KCUR or our sister station Classical KC, you may make a donation by clicking here.
We will continue to update this page with information as the situation unfolds.
If you have questions or would like additional information about the implications of federal funding cuts on KCUR’s local service, please contact Brian Moore, Senior Director of Philanthropy, at 816-235-2824 or brian.moore@kcur.org.
