Public Media Funding: Frequently Asked Questions
Federal Funding for KUAF and Public Media Is Under Serious Threat
Updated May 2, 2025
Recent actions to reduce or eliminate public media funding present significant challenges for local stations like KUAF. These unprecedented funding threats could substantially impact and perhaps irreparably harm our ability to serve northwest Arkansas with the programming and services our community relies on. While federal funding makes up approximately 17% of KUAF's budget, it is vital to maintain the local news, emergency coverage and educational programming you depend on. Here's what you need to know about these developments, how they could affect KUAF and how you can make your voice heard.
SAVE YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC RADIO AND TV STATIONS NOW!
The public media ecosystem is under threat, and it's a time of local action. We rely on the infrastructure of NPR to survive and thrive. If you value KUAF and the vital services we provide, please take action today:
- Tell Congress you support federal funding for public media through protectmypublicmedia.org
- Make a donation at supportkuaf.com to strengthen our local resources
- 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.
What can I do to support KUAF during this time?
- Make a donation at supportkuaf.com
- Become a monthly sustainer
- Contact your elected representatives to share your support for public media
- Tell Congress you support federal funding for public media through protectmypublicmedia.org
- Tell friends and family why KUAF matters to you
- Encourage your favorite business and/or organization to become an underwriter with KUAF
Making phone calls and sending letters to our members of Congress will help make the case for continued CPB funding. Your voice as a constituent is powerful when communicating with elected officials about why public media matters to you. We can't protect public media without you!
What is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)?
The CPB is an independent, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund programming, stations and technology. It is neither NPR nor PBS, but rather distributes federal funding directly to local stations like KUAF.
What is the executive order affecting public media funding?
On May 1, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that blocks support for PBS and NPR. The order prohibits PBS and NPR from receiving any federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – 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.
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison has stated that the CPB "is not a federal executive agency subject to the President's authority" and that "Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government." The CPB, PBS and NPR have all indicated they will challenge the order.
You can read the full statements from:
What other funding threats exist?
There are multiple threats to public media funding:
White House Budget Request Defunds Public Media
The Administration submitted its Fiscal Year 2026 budget request to Congress, which proposes defunding public media. While this is just a proposal, it sets the tone for the upcoming appropriations process.
Pending Plan to Claw Back Funding
We expect the White House will soon send a rescissions package to Congress that would claw back $1.1 billion in already approved public media funding – immediately jeopardizing stations' essential local services and forcing many rural and tribal stations off the air entirely.
Congress has 45 days to approve these cuts after receiving the proposal. House leadership has indicated they may vote on the package as early as the week of May 5, which is much sooner than initially expected.
These actions, combined with the executive order, represent an unprecedented threat to the entire public media ecosystem.
What is Protect My Public Media?
Protect My Public Media (PMPM) is an action network of Americans dedicated to protecting local public television and radio stations and the programming they provide. The organization helps coordinate advocacy efforts for continued federal funding of public media.
In March 2025, PMPM launched the first public media organization coalition bringing together more than 30 influential public media-affiliated organizations from across the country to advocate for public media funding.
When you visit protectmypublicmedia.org, you can easily send messages to your congressional representatives, access advocacy resources and learn more about the critical role federal funding plays in supporting public media across the country.
How much CPB funding does KUAF receive?
KUAF receives $148,690 annually through our Community Service Grant from CPB. When combined with other federal funds that support national programming ($14,182), system support ($11,508), interconnection ($10,543) and equipment/content/services ($7,778), the total federal support amounts to $192,701 per year, which is approximately 17% of our operating budget.
What financial challenges does KUAF currently face?
Like many organizations, KUAF faces significant financial pressures from rising costs of living for our staff, increasing programming costs, and ongoing equipment maintenance and replacement needs. Unfortunately, membership and underwriting revenue have not kept pace with these increases. The potential loss of federal funding would compound these challenges at an already difficult time, requiring us to either find significant new revenue sources or make cuts to our programming and services.
What is the true impact of losing this funding?
While the direct federal funding is $192,701, the cost to replace all these services individually would be approximately $264,000. This is because 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 KUAF to purchase independently. For every federal dollar invested through the CPB, public radio stations raise on average $7 locally - a successful public-private partnership.
How is CPB funding used at KUAF?
CPB funding supports:
- Local news reporting and production, including our flagship program "Ozarks at Large," which provides 313 hours of original local content annually
- Life-saving emergency alerts and weather information for northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, including tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm alerts and winter weather advisories
- Music and cultural programming, with 416 hours annually of locally-produced music shows including Generic Blues, Shades of Jazz, Vinyl Hour, Pickin' Post and Jazz Scoop
- Community Spotlight segments highlighting local non-profits during weekday Morning Edition broadcasts
- Community outreach programs like The Listening Lab and our Regional Heritage Series
- Broadcast infrastructure and technology that maintains our service to 14 counties across the region
- National programming from NPR, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
- Other essential public media content from American Public Media (APM), Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and independent producers, including This American Life and other shows
Who does KUAF serve?
KUAF reaches an estimated 750,000 people across our broadcast coverage area, serving counties throughout northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley (Benton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Newton, Pope, Scott, Sebastian, Washington and Yell) as well as several counties in Oklahoma and Missouri. Our station employs 11 full-time professionals and 5 part-time staff members serving our entire community.
What role does KUAF play in public safety?
KUAF is a critical part of the nation'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. Our station maintains regular contact with local first responders, ensuring coordinated emergency communication.
How does KUAF serve the University of Arkansas and its students?
As a university licensee, KUAF provides valuable training opportunities for students interested in careers in journalism, broadcasting and media production. We offer internships and hands-on experience that allow students to develop professional skills in a real-world environment. Many former KUAF student employees and interns have gone on to successful careers in public media and other news organizations. This educational mission is central to our service and aligns with the University's commitment to experiential learning.
How would the loss of CPB funding affect national programming?
A portion of KUAF's federal funding is designated for national programming. This helps us bring you trusted programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and other NPR favorites. If this funding is cut, we would need to find additional resources to maintain these programs or potentially reduce the number of national shows we carry. Additionally, the pooled resources that CPB provides for program distribution, satellite services, and music licensing would become more expensive for each station to purchase individually, making it harder for stations like KUAF to offer the diverse programming our listeners value.
What would happen if KUAF lost CPB funding?
While KUAF would continue to operate, the loss of federal funding would require difficult decisions about which services and programs we could continue to provide. We would need to seek additional funding of at least $264,000 from our community to maintain our current level of service. Some programming, especially local reporting, could be reduced or eliminated.
Why is public media needed when we have so many news sources?
With the number of local journalists declining nationwide and increased division and isolation in our country, independent and nonprofit public media organizations like KUAF continue to provide a high level of service to communities. Public media abides by rigorous ethical standards to ensure our content cannot be influenced by commercial or political interests. In a time where anyone can post their opinion to social media, journalism grounded in rigorous fact-checking and high journalistic standards is essential to being a trustworthy source of news and information.
Does the public support funding for public media?
Yes. A recent Pew Research Center survey shows Americans are twice as likely to support as oppose continued funding for NPR and PBS. This strong support crosses political lines, with people from diverse communities recognizing the value of non-commercial, educational media that serves local needs. For just $1.60 per American per year, public media provides trusted journalism, educational content and emergency information without paywalls or commercial influence.
How does CPB funding benefit rural communities?
In many rural areas, public media stations are the only local sources of news and emergency information. Federal funding helps ensure that all Americans, regardless of where they live, have access to essential information services. KUAF provides critical emergency information during severe weather events and other emergencies across our 14-county service area.
I love NPR. Why should I donate to KUAF?
When you donate to KUAF, you're not just helping fund great national programs like Morning Edition or All Things Considered—you're making it possible for those shows to be heard in our community. KUAF pays NPR for the right to broadcast these programs, and your contribution helps cover those costs.
Your donation also directly supports local journalism through programs like Ozarks at Large, bringing you stories and perspectives you won't find anywhere else. From regional news to community reporting, KUAF covers what matters most to northwest Arkansas.
Your gift keeps everything running—funding journalists, transmitters and our daily operations. NPR encourages listeners to support their local stations because when you support KUAF, you're supporting both national and local programming. NPR creates the content—KUAF brings it home to you.
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
If you have any questions about this situation or how you can help, please contact our General Manager, Clint Schaff, at schaff@uark.edu.