Push for Funding Cuts Threatens Public Media in Alaska

#Community#Radio

Mar 1

By Ian C. Larson

Snow crunches under Mark Ross’ boots as he walks through Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Ross hosts a radio show called “Creamer’s Sounds and Sights,” where he gives listeners a glimpse into the wildlife outside their backdoors.

This morning, Ross is on the hunt for a hawk owl. As he walks, Ross narrates his morning trek in vivid detail. He describes the magenta hues of the sunrise, exclaims with joy when he stumbles across an animal's tracks, and imitates the calls of passing ravens and redpolls. He finds his owl perched high in a spruce tree, puffed up against the cold. Ross grows quieter, just watching as the owl studies Creamer’s Field, looking for breakfast.

“Creamer’s Sounds and Sights” is one of many programs that can be heard on KUAC, 89.9 FM. “Mountain Stage” brings bluegrass music to Fairbanks from the mountains of West Virginia; morning commuters tune in to traffic reports and road conditions; borough assembly meetings are broadcast live, bringing transparency to local government; and shows like “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!” entertain listeners on lazy Saturday mornings.

Public media stations such as KUAC receive a portion of their annual funding from the federal government. This year, there have been efforts to eliminate all funding for public media in the U.S.

Funding levels for public media are determined by Congress each year. The Corporation then receives that funding for Public Broadcasting. Founded in 1967, the CPB’s role is to distribute those funds fairly to public media stations nationwide.

Last year, the CPB received $475 million for distribution. Yearly funding for the CPB is included within the Labor HHS Appropriations Bill, henceforth referred to as “the Bill.” Two versions of the Bill are passed yearly: one by the Senate and one by the House. Sometimes, the two versions are very different. When this happens, a committee is formed, and negotiations are made. Then, both bodies approve one final version of the Bill.

The Senate’s version of the Bill passed last summer and allocated $626 million to the CPB, a record high. The House’s version, which has failed to pass multiple votes, eliminates all funding for the CPB, ending federal support for public media. The House could now modify its existing version and try for another vote or enter straight into negotiations with the Senate over their version. It is unclear what the House will do next.

Public media stations receive funding from multiple sources. Sources vary from station to station, but they typically include funding from the CPB, public donations, other local contributions, and sometimes the state. In 2022, KUAC received 29% of its revenue from the CPB and 35% from public contributions. Most of the remaining 36% came as non-monetary support from UAF, such as plowing roads and paying electric bills.

Unlike KUAC, rural Alaska stations don’t have UAF to rely on for support. Their audiences are smaller, as are their local economies. This results in smaller public donations and forces these stations to rely on CPB funding more than larger stations. Without the CPB, rural Alaska stations would be among the most at risk of shutting down.

Gretchen Gordon is the general manager of KUAC. Gordon says that KUAC can only afford programming and staff with the CPB. She fears that losing CPB funding would cause a “domino effect.” If the programming quality were to decrease due to a lack of funding, she worries that public support and donations would follow suit.

“It’s very difficult to think about. If it happens… it hurts to think about,” said Gordon.

KUAC has survived funding cuts before. In 2019, Gov. Mike Dunleavy cut all state funding for public media. Simultaneously, Dunleavy made funding cuts to UAF. This forced UAF to significantly reduce their funding for KUAC as well, according to Robyne, a KUAC reporter. KUAC lost about $750,000 in revenue in one year, nearly 20% of their budget then. In response, KUAC was forced to lay off staff and cut two of their three radio stations from the air.

This is not the first time funding for the CPB has been questioned. Former presidents Bush and Trump sought to cut CPB funding during their presidencies, and Robyne says efforts to cut funding date back to the Reagan era.

Last November, two amendments were proposed to the Bill. One prohibits any CPB funds from going to NPR or PBS. The second amendment seeks to defund the CPB in its entirety immediately. Both amendments failed to be approved.

NPR and PBS are among the most prominent public media outlets for radio and television in the U.S. Not all public media stations are affiliated with either organization. Still, both are often seen as poster children for all public media.

Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas is the author of one of the failed amendments. Like some other Republicans, Jackson believes public media has a strong liberal bias and that spending taxpayer dollars on public media is unfair to Republicans.

“Radical Democrats have siphoned hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS . . . despite sharing all the same propaganda of any other radical-left corporate news outlet,” says a statement on Jackson’s website.

Public media, especially NPR, is often accused of having a liberal bias. NPR has a rating of “Leaning Left” on AllSides, a website that ranks the bias of news sources. Alaska Public Media, a network of stations affiliated with NPR and PBS, is rated as “Center.”

Gordon does not believe that KUAC has a bias in any direction.

“Sure, public broadcasting gets some funding from our tax dollars,” said Gordon. “That doesn't mean your stories are being hijacked for a political cause. We are on a mission to serve the listener and viewer, not any political party.”

Mollie Kabler is the executive director of CoastAlaska, a partnership of seven public radio stations in southeast Alaska. Kabler says that the calls for funding cuts come from a small group of hard-right Republicans. Kabler is adamant that the majority of Congress, including all three of Alaska’s delegates, support the CPB.

Despite past cuts and threats of more, Kabler believes that public media has a strong support community in Alaska. Nolan Earnest, a student at UAF, is among those supporters. The variety offered by KUAC is what Earnest appreciates most about public media, and he has a friend whose alarm clock is a recording of Mark Ross tramping through Creamer’s Field. To Earnest, public media is about more than news. He says public media keeps people informed on local events, helps them get involved in the community, and provides a platform to showcase the arts.

“As an artist, I [greatly appreciate] public media,” said Earnest. “I believe it should be prioritized.”

Public media has a unique presence in Alaska. Public media may be the only form of broadcast in isolated communities. In the village of Fort Yukon, population 429, villagers can tune in to KZPA and hear messages from relatives in other communities, get updates on river ice or wildfires, and listen to world news. Even local births and deaths are announced.

This form of basic communication has long been surpassed in other parts of the country. Without federal support, it would be challenging for many Alaskan stations to function as they do today. If those stations were to disappear, a vital community service would be lost.

Sources:

Gretchen Gordon

General Manager of KUAC

(907) 474-1891

Gretchen.kuac@alaska.edu

Robyne (No last name)

KUAC Reporter

(907) 699-1593

Robyne.KUAC@alaska.edu

Nolan Earnest

UAF Student

(612) 655-6852