KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City PBS is calling on the community for greater support after losing $1.8 million in federal funding, following the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s (CPB) announcement that it will shut down due to funding cuts. The move stems from efforts by the Trump administration and Congress to defund public media, citing political bias concerns.
The CPB has been a key funding source for national networks like PBS and NPR, as well as local stations. With $1.1 billion in funding cuts expected nationwide over the next two budget cycles, Kansas City PBS is bracing for impact.
Station leaders say their content reaches over 1 million people each month, with most funding already coming from public donations. Now, they’re leaning even more on the community to make up the difference.
“We’re gonna lose a few of the national shows, and I think that’s the other part of this. How do we make sure and try to protect those as much as possible?” said Kliff Kuehl, president and CEO of Kansas City PBS.
The station is currently using reserve funds while ramping up its fundraising efforts. CPB funding previously made up 13% of the TV budget and 9% of the radio budget, according to station officials.
Kuehl emphasized the station’s commitment to minimizing disruptions: “We’re trying to work very, very hard to mitigate that impact on our viewers and our listeners, to try to make it seem as much as possible like any other year in our broadcast schedule.”
However, Kansas City PBS expects to cut back on local programming, community screenings, and outreach events in the coming months.
“Journalism is the oxygen of democracy,” Kuehl said. “People need to know what’s going on in Kansas City and be able to voice their opinion and make a vote that they feel good about.”
The CPB also handles payments for music rights, which are covered through the end of this year. Beyond that, the future is uncertain.
Kuehl pointed to a sister station in Pittsburgh that had to cut 35% of its staff—something he hopes to avoid in Kansas City.
“I have to say that gave me pause,” he admitted. “We’re trying to figure out the right path forward here. How desperate do we want to be in our fundraising appeals, and how much do we want it to feel like an emergency?”
Since the news broke, donations have increased steadily since July—a trend the station hopes will grow.
“People are voting with their checkbook that this is content that they like,” Kuehl said. “And when we go to the Hill, we’ll tell members of Congress, ‘Hey, you give us 13 cents for our TV station, we match that with 87 cents. That’s a pretty good public-private partnership.’”
Kansas City PBS will continue emergency fundraising through October. Station leaders will reassess the budget then and decide what additional changes may be needed.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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