Federal funding cuts hit Tampa Bay NPR, PBS, community broadcasting stations

Public broadcasting cuts will impact local stations

The federal government is tightening its belt, and public broadcasting took a hit. PBS and NPR stations in Tampa Bay are among those losing funding they rely on as part of $9 billion in cuts. Briona Arradondo reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - WEDU, the Tampa PBS station, is among the local public broadcasting stations adjusting to a new reality Friday after learning it will lose $2.4 million in federal funding.

The backstory:

Lawmakers approved the cuts in Congress Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s plan to slash $9 billion in government funding for global aid and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.

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"We looked at that. We thought it was a waste of taxpayer funds, and we're taking care of business, so we'll continue to do that. We're going to downsize the scope of government," said House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, on Friday.

What they're saying:

Big Bird, Elmo and the friends from Sesame Street kept many company growing up, and the PBS show is carried on local member stations like WEDU in Tampa. WEDU provides six channels that include kids programming and state government committees through the Florida Channel. 

The recent federal funding cuts now add to the $200,000 that WEDU lost in state funding cuts to public media.

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"It's a devastating blow to the television station and public broadcasting across the country," said WEDU PBS President and CEO Paul Grove. "We will definitely have to look at a number of different delays in programs and probably not have as many programs as we used to produce."

Up the road, community radio station WMNF 88.5FM keeps the music and news going. The majority volunteer-run station will also take a hit, losing $230,000 in federal money.

"So, it's about 11% of our total budget, which means it will hurt, but it won't kill us," said Randi Zimmerman, the general manager at WMNF.

The public broadcasters said the Corporation of Public Broadcasting funding existed for the public interest.

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"These federal funds were going to all of the services that we were providing. The educational programming that people love, our children's programs, our emergency alerts, and being part of an emergency system when it comes to hurricanes and other disasters," said Grove.

So, what they do going forward may look and sound a little different.

"Yes, we'll lose staff. We don't have to lay anybody off. We have an open position right now, the assistant news director position, and that is not going to be filled right now. And, I'm hoping that it doesn't get worse," said Zimmerman.

The NPR member station WUSF in Tampa said it’s losing $800,000 in funding from the cuts.  

What's next:

WEDU, WMNF and WUSF said they are leaning on the community’s support even more at this time. The stations said they are answering calls from residents who want to donate to keep the public programs going.

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"That's going to be the real challenge for those rural communities that serve those smaller population bases," said Grove. "That's going to be a real question as to whether or not that's going to even move forward."

The public broadcasting stations said they will continue to serve their communities who support them.

"We are unstoppable. We've been around for 46 years. We're a major institution," said Zimmerman. "We have 168 hours to fill every week. That doesn't change."