KUOW president makes statement on executive order attacking public media

Last night, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cease all direct and indirect funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

This executive action, which will likely face legal challenges, represents a direct political attempt to interfere with the work of public media. It’s a credible and serious threat to all Americans’ access to non-commercial news and educational programming.

What this executive order does and doesn’t do

The order targets federal dollars that the CPB provides directly to NPR and PBS. It does not change public media’s overall congressional appropriation—for now. It is likely that federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will be challenged during the upcoming budget reconciliation process in Congress or by a rescission vote.

The “indirect” funding the executive order describes are any CPB dollars that locally owned public radio and television stations use towards NPR and PBS programming. The implications and legality of this part of the executive order are still to be determined, but the order’s intent to impede the work of community public media stations is clear.

By restricting how funds can be used, the order undermines the fundamental principle that government should not control what we air or how we serve our community.

How federal support fits into KUOW’s budget

Federal dollars flow to KUOW through an annual grant from the CPB, which we use to license national programming from NPR including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. To put it simply, the CPB is KUOW’s largest sustaining member. This support represents approximately 5% of our annual revenue—$1,004,089 in our latest fiscal year. The CPB also provides KUOW’s access to critical infrastructure such as satellite connection and emergency alert systems.

Our mission continues

Those who threaten open access to information do so because they fear the power of an informed public. We know that an informed community is a strong community—one that’s empowered to think for itself, make decisions, and hold power to account.

Nothing in this executive order alters what we do every day on behalf of our community in the Pacific Northwest. In a landscape awash with commercially or politically driven media, public media exists for public good alone. We are here to inform, educate, and enrich the Puget Sound community, to address the needs of unserved and underserved audiences, and to ensure that everyone has free and open access to honest, trustworthy news and information. That work continues today unchanged.

Going forward

While the exact impacts on local stations are yet to be determined, this order is a clear escalation in the White House’s attempts to hinder the free press and undermine public media’s mission. KUOW is working directly with NPR and other stations to understand the situation and how we can best protect our continuity of service across America. We will work tirelessly to protect this community’s right to information and will be transparent with you, our stakeholders, every step of the way. As you likely know, the actions coming out of DC are fluid and change frequently. We promise not to overwhelm you with information, but to ensure you have substantive updates along the way as things unfold.

How you can help right now

Stay informed. Bookmark KUOW’s Federal Funding page for running updates and context on the federal funding situation. You can also learn more from Protect My Public Media, an advocacy group dedicated to protecting local public television and radio stations.

Support our work. This community’s support has always been the backbone of KUOW, and no executive order can take that away. The best way to safeguard our community’s access to high-quality, trustworthy news programming is to make an investment in KUOW today.

If you are a member, today is an important day to upgrade your support or make an additional gift.

If you’ve never given to KUOW, we invite you to join our community of members who keep this station strong and resilient.

Since KUOW’s beginnings as a student radio signal to our present as a leading NPR member station, the Puget Sound community has kept KUOW strong for more than seven decades. This executive order is a significant threat, but our commitment to this community—the community that built us—remains steadfast.

Thank you for standing with us today and every day.

Caryn G. Mathes

KUOW President and General Manager