Indiana Public Radio, TV Stations Lose $7.4 Million in Funding in Passed State Budget.
- Inside Audio Marketing
- 10 minutes ago
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Last week’s budget passed by Indiana lawmakers cut two years’ worth of funding, estimated at $7.4 million, to Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, a partnership of 17 radio and TV stations which has received state support for more than 40 years. The cuts, which are an attempt by the state to address a projected $2.4 billion shortfall, will impact funding with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
“There was no forewarning that it was going to happen,” IPBS Executive Director Mark Newman tells Louisville Public Media. “All indications were that this was not even on the radar screen, so when it did happen, it was a complete surprise.”
As a result, IPBS did not have the opportunity to rally public support or plead its case to state leaders, with whom the company has longstanding relationships.
Newman notes that while IPBS’ stations cover 95% of Indiana, the budget cuts are most likely to impact smaller stations, where state funding accounts for 20-30% of their annual operating budget. “Particularly [in] the rural communities, where public media is the lifeline, it’s the lone source of news and information, of entertainment, of valued content, that stands the risk of going away,” he says.
Fortunately for IPBS, contributions from the general public make up a more significant portion of its funding, Newman says, while stations also receive sponsorships or underwriting from businesses and individuals, as well as funding from local or federal grants.
While the federal government has proposed taking away more than $1 billion of funding for NPR and PBS, with President Trump and Republicans in Congress accusing both organizations of having a liberal bias, Newman believes the state’s decision to cut IPBS’ funding was solely financial and not about station content.
However, Newman says federal cutbacks on top of the state’s funding cuts “could be catastrophic for some of our stations. The smaller stations might not survive that. As it is, we are earnestly working on developing a new model, a new way forward that I’m hopeful will be a successful path for all of us collectively, so the 17 television and radio stations in Indiana can move ahead.”