A Note from NYPR's President & CEO Regarding Federal Funding for CPB, NPR and PBS

Following yesterday’s Executive Order on funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and today’s announcement of the White House’s budget request, NYPR President & CEO LaFontaine E. Oliver shared the below note with listeners.

New York Public Radio includes WNYC, Gothamist, WQXR, New Jersey Public Radio, The Greene Space and WNYC Studios.

Late last night, the nation learned that President Trump signed an executive order aiming to eliminate federal funding to NPR and PBS. Today, the White House released its annual budget request, which proposesdefunding public media.

If it holds, the executive order will restrict New York Public Radio from using CPB funding to purchase programming or services from NPR. CPB said in a statement that the White House had no legal authority over the company, and NPR called it “an affront to the First Amendment.”

Public radio and public television have enjoyed bipartisan support since 1967. The system has a profound impact on Americans in all 50 states and in every type of community—urban, suburban, rural, and remote. This indispensable service costs the American taxpayer about $1.60 a year, and it is one that the majority of Americans want to maintain. Recent polling from the Pew Research Center shows that only 24 percent of Americans support cutting federal funding.

The budget request and executive order are only part of the administration’s ongoing effort to dismantle the American public broadcasting system as we know it. We expect even more to come.

If successful, the effort will exacerbate existing news deserts and create new ones, as public radio has become the main (or only) remaining source for fact-based local news, educational and cultural programming,and critical emergency broadcast services in many communities across the country.

It would lead to even more misinformation and disinformation, and a further retreat into hyper-partisan platforms. It has been well proven that the erosion of local news increases corruption and decreases voter turnout, civic engagement, and government efficiency.

This is more than a policy debate about the role of the federal government. It’s an attack on the free press, and the very idea of an American public sphere: where information and ideas flow freely, everyone has access to the arts, and neighbors are connected—to one another and to those in power.

So what now? New York Public Radio is moving forward in lockstep with public media stations nationwide. But we can’t do it without you. As the people who drive our community-powered programming—the ones who put the public in public media—you are our most powerful resource.

We must not stand idle. Here’s what you can do right now:

• Visit our Stand Together Page, where you can get the latest updates, connect with resources to contact your legislators, and find social media tools to spread the word.
• Donate now or increase your current contribution. Help us build a financial firewall to defend against current attacks and secure our future. The most powerful way to support our work is by becoming a sustaining member with a recurring monthly gift.

This is an unprecedented time and there are many questions we don’t yet have answers to. We will continue to share details with you as we have them.

For now, know this: New York Public Radio will never retreat from its role as a beacon for news, culture, and civic connection. We will stand together with all of you and with public media stations nationwide—and we will get loud.

We’re radio people, so we know a thing or two about the power of the human voice. Right now, it’s time to stand up, stand together, and make some noise.

LaFontaine E. Oliver
President and CEO
New York Public Radio