(update 5/4/2025) - Late Thursday night, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media." The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to prohibit both direct and indirect federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). CPB issued its own statement, stating that they are "not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government."
What the order does - and does not - attempt to do:
- It targets federal dollars only. Private donations from listeners, foundation grants and corporate sponsorships continue to be the foundation of WRVO's near and long-term sustainability.
- It leaves public media's overall congressional appropriation unchanged, at least for now. How any federal funds are reallocated after removing NPR and PBS is not yet defined, but is sure to have a significant impact on WRVO Public Media and local public media organizations who rely on these national-to-local partnerships to provide some of the content you know and love.
- It does not close local public media stations. However, because most stations rely on federal funding through the CPB's Community Service Grants to pay for infrastructure, emergency-alert services and local journalism, the financial effects could be significant, especially for smaller stations who serve more rural communities.
How federal support fits into WRVO's budget:
Federal dollars come to WRVO through an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This year, CPB's Community Service Grant is a little more than $180,000, which accounts for about 7-8% of our annual operating budget. While it might not seem like a significant percentage of our budget, we use most of the grant money to help pay for salaries for WRVO employees, including local journalists. Additionally, pooled support from CPB helps pay for broadcasting infrastructure, music licensing fees, and emergency alert services.
What happens next?
- Continued assessment, planning and legal challenges: we are working the CPB, NPR and other public media stations in New York and across the country to plan for the future of public media and protect our essential service to central New York without disruption.
- Advocacy: WRVO Public Media will continue working to protect the strong bipartisan support that exists for public media and will keep New York's congressional delegation informed about how potential cuts will negatively affect their constituents.
- Transparency: we will share major updates with you on this page and on the air. This is a very fluid situation, and will have more information as it becomes available.
How you can help right now:
- Stay informed; visit this page for updates and background context.
- Make your voice heard to our elected officials. Visit Protect My Public Media for easy way to reach out to your representatives.
- Support our work by starting monthly sustaining membership. If you're already a sustaining member (thank you!), please consider increasing your monthly commitment by just a few dollars. Volunteer financial contributions from members are more important than ever.
Prior to the executive order, the White House had indicated its intent to ask Congress to rescind previously-allocated funding to CPB. The executive order does not mean the rescission request will not happen; it may still be delivered to Congress at any time. Read more about this separate threat to federal funding of public media below.
The White House has announced plans to rescind federal funding for public broadcasting. What is the impact on WRVO?
- The White House has called on Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in federal funding from public broadcasting. Once this request is formally submitted, Congress will have 45 days to adopt or reject the request. The formal request is expected to be delivered to Congress any day, starting the 45-day clock.
- WRVO is one of 1,300 locally and independently managed stations that are funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through annual Community Service Grants. This rescission would eliminate funding previously approved by Congress for federal fiscal years 2026 and 2027. WRVO also relies on pooled resources from CPB, including satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, and the ability to collectively license music and develop local programs.
- WRVO is not NPR; we are an NPR member station. Although NPR also receives annual support from CPB, it is a significantly smaller percentage of its operating budget than it is for local stations. However, WRVO uses a portion of our federal support to purchase content from NPR and other producers and distributors. It is clear that the elimination of federal funds will have a much more significant negative impact on smaller and more rural stations.
How much CPB funding does WRVO Public Media receive?
- Approximately 7-8% of WRVO Public Media’s annual budgeted revenue comes from the CPB Community Service Grant. That amounts to more than $180,000 each year. Additional CPB support for system support, interconnection, equipment, and services saves WRVO an estimated $50,000+ each year.
Why does WRVO need federal funding?
- Almost everything you hear on WRVO is made possible by a combination of local and federal funding. Membership – the voluntary financial contributions from thousands of listeners – is easily the largest source of income for WRVO, followed by program sponsorships. Although it accounts for less than 10% of our budget, the $180,000+ we receive from the CPB Community Service Grant makes it possible for WRVO to provide local journalism and content you rely on every day. Losing more than $180,000 from an already very lean annual budget will have a significant impact on our ability to maintain the level of public service you’ve come to expect.
Should public media continue to get any funding from taxpayers?
Watch as Dr. Robert Hilliard, a founding witness to public broadcasting and former Chief of Public Broadcasting at the FCC, shares his perspective on the critical importance of federal funding for public media. At 100 years old, Dr. Hilliard reflects on his presence at the 1967 signing of the Public Broadcasting Act and explains why a free media is essential to democracy. Video courtesy of WGCU Public Media.
What can WRVO supporters do right now?
- We’ve received many inquiries from listeners asking how they can help. While we wait to see how Congress will act, the most important thing you can do right now is become a sustaining member of WRVO. We very much appreciate listeners who make one-time contributions, but sustaining members help us plan for our future. If you’re already a sustaining member, thank you! Please consider increasing your monthly commitment by just a few dollars. If you’re a member but not a sustaining member (thank you, too!), please consider a monthly commitment of just 10 or 20 dollars a month; it will make a huge difference for WRVO. And if you’re not a member yet, please join the thousands of other listeners who’ve already made their investments in local public media. You can start or increase your membership by clicking the red “DONATE” button at wrvo.org.
- As Congress considers this rescission request, they need to hear from you. Visit ProtectMyPublicMedia.org for tips on how to contact your representatives by email, letters, and even phone calls. If you have opinions about the benefits of federal funding for public media, make sure your voice is heard.
We appreciate your continuing support of WRVO. We will update this page with information as it becomes available.
