Leaders of Southern California’s largest public news and information radio station said Washington Republicans’ threat to eliminate support for federal public broadcasts would deal a serious blow to local programming.
Although Laist played under the call sign KPCC-FM (89.9) and LAIST received the vast majority of financial support from other sources, the loss of government subsidies could threaten the consequences of the Eaton and Palisades fires, the kind of coverage mentioned in executives in both departments.
The remarks came after a hearing held by the Congressional Commission in Washington on Wednesday. Criticizing NPR and PBS’s head Reports that Republicans call prejudice. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), chairman of the committee, vowed to end taxpayer support for public broadcasters, who she labeled as a “communist”.
The cut will cost Pasadena-based LAIST $1.7 million from its budget $41 million, while Santa Monica-based KCRW will lose $1.3 million from its budget, executives said.
“We have to balance the budget every year, so we have to make clear changes,” said KCRW president Jennifer Ferro. “We don’t want to backwards and offer less service. We want to provide more service. With this cut, we have to raise an additional price of $1.3 million to stay in our place. You can’t just grab your finger and do that.”
Despite previous public funding for media has been questioned several times, Ferro said the threat this year is even more serious as the Trump administration cuts so many plans and departments at the same time.
After the Washington hearing, LAIST editor-in-chief Megan Garvey sent an email to listeners defending the radio report.
“We provide in-depth news, thoughtful dialogue and local reporting that is not influenced by business and politics,” Garvey’s message said. “We believe that the listening perspective across the entire range makes us a stronger, more knowledgeable country.”
The station said there was an increase in donations in a recent playback vow, with LAIST staff repeatedly saying the station needed more donations to offset potential government funding cuts.
In early March, LAIST development director Rob Risko explained the scale of the threat posed by the loss of federal funds.
“This is $1.7 million in LAIST funding (or more than 13 jobs) that can directly bring you in-depth coverage on housing, public safety, climate, outbreak news, and more,” Fighto wrote to listeners. “If these dollars go away, Laist is still here to serve you every day.”
But he said Leicester “exposed corruption” would be “more difficult”, providing the kind of shocking news coverage displayed during the fires and conducting in-depth analysis in LAIST’s election “Voters Game Plan”.
When most of the stories focus on non-ideological themes, both stations think it is unfair to label their news reports as tilted. For example, Ferro pointed out that 3,000 people asked questions about health issues raised by wildfires at the KCRW forum conducted on Zoom.
“I think it’s important now that people can have institutions they rely on and trust,” Ferro said. “Maybe it’s a quaint idea, but we’re not only here to make money or sell your personal data. We’re working on bringing news and information into the educational community for the sole purpose.”
There are about $11 million in payments per year to support satellite systems connecting NPR stations due to potential cuts to companies that may cut potential cuts to public broadcasters. Satellite links can help radio stations publish performance news reports from anywhere in the country.
Ferro, who attended Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, said the service would disappear unless the station found a way to bridge the funding gap.
Radio stations in small and remote communities received up to 40% of their funds from CPB, Ferro said, making it difficult for them to stay without federal funds.
