California radio station says Trump public media cuts make ‘America less safe’
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- Congress cut federal funds to public media, threatening local radio operations.
- Stations KVMR and KZFR report losses could reduce critical community services.
- Public media leaders urge recognition of local radio’s cultural and safety role.
Airwaves flowing from KVMR 89.5 FM in Nevada City preserve local identities across Northern California’s cities and towns, the station’s development director, Adriana Kelly, said. The U.S. House’s vote early Friday to cut public media funds threatens institutions that bind communities, she said.
The 216-213 House vote, which eliminates a total of $9 billion from previously approved funds, including $1 billion from broadcasting, was largely a party line vote, with two Republicans joining Democrats in opposition while all voting Republicans favored the bill. The legislation headed to President Donald Trump to sign.
Partisan rhetoric espoused on the national stage sharply divides this country. Radios, however, wrap a community with music and local news coverage, often a balm to to divisive culture and a preservation of residents’ souls, Kelly said. The nearly 47-year-old station transmits music to listeners worldwide, local news and life-saving critical alerts during extreme weather events.
But radio stations could go dark or cut programming after Congress voted to claw back federal funds given through Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private nonprofit authorized by Congress in 1967. The entity was created to provide government grants across more than 1,500 public television and radio stations, according to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“It makes America less safe,” Kelly said of the cuts.
The major effort to keep the funds intact came Wednesday in the Senate. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, proposed retaining the money.
“Local television and radio stations will shut down, and it will be rural stations that will be the first to close,” she said in a Senate floor speech.
She was opposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
“Public broadcasting has been overtaken by partisan advocates,” he said. “They reveal their left-wing bias time and time again.”
The overall bill to cut the funding was passed by the Senate early Thursday by a 51-48 vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were opposed, while all other Republicans voted for it. All senators who caucus with Democrats were against it.
Northern California stations described how they serve as cultural hubs for their community. They spark conversations and provide a sound for their community.
A resident can feel connected to a community, perhaps, through a well known monument or place. But without a cultural connection, “it doesn’t really tell the full story,” said Grant Parks, KZFR’s general manager.
Bands playing on KZFR 90.1 FM, such as Mother’s Hips, became the sound of Chico after appearing on the station, Parks said.
The station, which can be heard from Sacramento to Tehama counties, also plays a variety of programming offering reggae, and is a reflection of residents’ preferences, he said.
Does a community choose a sound? Or, does a radio station broadcast musical tones which resonate deeply with residents?
“I like to think it’s a little bit back and forth,” Parks answered.
Capital Public Radio in Sacramento does not have federal funding in its budget passed for the upcoming fiscal year that began July 1. Grants at PBS KVIE make up about 14% of its operating budget, which is separate from its total budget, said General Manager David Lowe.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds make up about 19% of KZFR’s $550,000 budget and about 12% of KVMR’s approximate $1.4 million budget, according to each radio station.
Three public media stations said the funding cuts came suddenly, thrusting them into uncertainty. It was unclear, they said, what the future looks like without this money and most are entreating their audiences to donate.
“This, frankly, has come as a shock,” said Hugo Morales, the founder of Radio Bilingue, which is based in Fresno.
The Spanish and English serving stations broadcast across California, New Mexico and parts of Oregon, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Programming also airs in languages such as Mixteco and Triqui, Morales said.
The souls of essential workers — gardeners, farm workers and restaurant dishwashers — lighten as they listen to Radio Bilingue’s traditional music, such as Tejano and mariachi. These airwaves pour hope into their missions to create a better life for themselves and their children, he said.
But public media also plays sounds which strike at the heart of this country’s cultural institutions. Country, jazz, Appalachian and classical music all tell a story about American traditions, he said.
Federal funding makes up about 10% of Radio Bilingue’s $3.6 million budget, Morales said.
For some of these radio stations, there is a disconnect between how congressional representatives perceive public media and the reality at stations, public media leaders said. A majority of KVMR’s programming is not selections from NPR, and instead local shows are curated to educate and bring joy to listeners, Kelly said.
KVMR has at least 150 volunteers, ranging from college students to retirees. They all can come up with their own programming and learn how a radio station works.
Every strategic move by the broadcaster over its 47 years was done to raise the cultural consciousness of Nevada City and attract residents, Kelly said. Another Northern California station, Jefferson Public Radio, built dozens of transmitters across from southern Oregon to Northern California counties of Shasta, Siskiyou, Lake, Modoc and Mendocino in about 55 years.
Losing funds to maintain this infrastructure could potentially cut off residents to information, radio station leaders said.
“If one thing could really save the political landscape,” Kelly said, “it’s local news.”
