Public Radio Stations Sound the Alarm After Congress Slashes Funding.

Public radio stations across the country are reeling from the fallout of the recently passed CPB clawback bill, which rescinds $1.1 billion in previously approved funding over two years. As the cuts begin to take effect, stations large and small are speaking out about the financial blow and launching urgent campaigns to keep local journalism and cultural programming afloat.

New York Public Radio (NYPR) and Houston Public Media (HPR) are among the hardest hit, with NYPR saying they will lose $6 million in funding over the next two years and HPR bracing for a loss of $2.2 million annually, nearly 10% of its operating budget. HPR General Manager Josh Adams said the station is responding with the creation of a “Resiliency Fund,” aiming to raise $4.4 million over the next two years to stabilize operations and preserve local content.

Elsewhere in Texas, stations like KEDT in Corpus Christi and Marfa Public Radio face steep reductions. For KEDT, federal funding makes up 39% of its budget. Leaders warn that without swift community support, the viability of some local public radio outlets is in serious jeopardy.

In Pennsylvania, WITF in Harrisburg is now grappling with a $1.3 million shortfall. “With this immediate federal funding loss, WITF now faces an approximate $1.3 million gap in our revenue,” said Cindy Hershey, the station’s senior director of development. The station has urged listeners to contact lawmakers and is ramping up its member drives to fill the gap.

WHYY in Philadelphia, which expects to lose about 7% of its budget, has no plans to reduce staff or programming. “We do not anticipate any change to staffing nor to the delivery or mix of our programming… other than to increase them,” said CEO Bill Marrazzo, noting that the station will lean more heavily on contributed income and other revenue streams.

Colorado Public Radio (CPR) says CPB funding accounts for roughly $1.5 million annually, about 6% of its budget. Smaller affiliates in the state are even more vulnerable. KVNF, which serves rural western Colorado, says 20% of its funding, or about $161,000, is at risk. “This funding cut will be a pretty heavy impact for us,” said Ashley Krest, the station’s general manager.

Nationwide, NPR and its member stations are warning that the clawback could force dozens of local stations to shut down entirely, particularly those in rural or underserved areas that rely heavily on CPB support. Many stations are now intensifying donor outreach efforts, launching emergency fundraising drives, and pursuing grants and underwriting to stay afloat.

“Failing stations will create a cascade effect in this highly connected and interdependent system, impacting content producers and leading to the potential collapse of additional distressed stations in other areas of the country,” Tim Isgitt, CEO at Public Media Company, told The New York Times.

As the full impact of the rescission becomes clear, public radio leaders are also pushing lawmakers to restore CPB funding in future appropriations, arguing that public media’s role in civic life has never been more essential.