KUAF and federal funding: Why it matters

By Clint Schaff | Published May 2, 2025

You may have learned yesterday that President Trump signed an executive order to cut federal funding to public media. While many national news outlets have framed this as a cut to NPR and PBS, the reality is that this action, if enforced, will take money from local public media stations like KUAF Public Radio.

KUAF is among the 1,500 locally focused, independently managed public radio stations across the U.S. While public radio has faced challenges throughout its history, the current threats to federal funding represent serious and unprecedented challenges to the public media ecosystem.

Multiple threats to public media funding

The executive order signed on May 1 prohibits PBS and NPR from receiving federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)—directly or indirectly, including through federal funds used to pay membership dues.

This action threatens national services that local stations rely on to serve their communities, from emergency alert infrastructure to research-backed educational resources, and undermines local station autonomy.

The executive order comes alongside the Trump Administration's budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2026, which proposes defunding public media entirely.

Additionally, the White House is expected to send a rescissions package to Congress that would claw back $1.1 billion in already approved public media funding. This would immediately jeopardize stations' essential local services and potentially force many rural and tribal stations off the air.

What federal funding means for KUAF

KUAF receives $148,690 annually through our Community Service Grant from CPB. Combined with other federal funds that support national programming, system support, interconnection and equipment/content/services, the total federal support amounts to $192,701 per year, or approximately 17% of our operating budget.

While this percentage might seem modest, losing this funding would have significant consequences.

The true cost to replace all these services individually would be approximately $264,000. CPB's collective purchasing power provides economies of scale for services like satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems and music licensing that would be much more expensive for us to purchase independently.

This funding allows KUAF to leverage the federal investment into support from local sources. For every federal dollar invested through CPB, public radio stations raise on average $7 locally — a successful public-private partnership.

KUAF's public safety mission

KUAF serves as a critical part of the region's civil defense and public safety infrastructure. In 2024, KUAF issued 75 alerts for weather emergencies and public safety notices.

During severe weather events, such as tornadoes, ice storms and flash floods, our emergency information services reached an estimated 70,000 listeners, with emergency management officials citing our coverage as critical to public safety and preparedness.

This role is particularly vital in our 14-county Arkansas service area, which includes rural communities across northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley, as well as the numerous counties we serve in eastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri.

Local impact and educational mission

Federal funding supports KUAF's flagship program, "Ozarks at Large," which provides 313 hours of original local content annually and 416 hours of locally produced music shows, including Generic Blues, Shades of Jazz, Vinyl Hour, Pickin' Post, and Jazz Scoop.

As a university licensee, KUAF also provides valuable training opportunities for students interested in careers in journalism, broadcasting and media production. Many former KUAF student employees and interns have gone on to successful careers in public media and other news organizations.

What you can do to help

While federal funding plays an important role in KUAF's budget, the most critical piece of our financial future has always been — and always will be — direct financial support from our listeners and community organizations.

Here's what you can do:

1. Tell Congress you support federal funding for public media through protectmypublicmedia.org 
   
2. Make a donation at supportkuaf.com to strengthen our local resources 
   
3. Spread the word about these threats to friends, family, and your social networks 

Your support now is critical to ensuring KUAF can continue to serve Northwest Arkansas with trusted news, educational programming, and emergency information. We've faced challenges before, and together with our listeners, we can overcome them again.

For more information about the funding situation and how it affects KUAF, visit kuaf.com/funding.

With sincere appreciation for your continued support,
Clint Schaff
General Manager, KUAF