Congress Defunds Public Radio

Thanks to everyone who called and emailed Congress to oppose cuts

Washington’s Congressional Representatives voted in favor of funding but, ultimately, the bill passed and funds previously approved to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other programs was rescinded from the budget.

The President was focused on defunding NPR but hundreds of stations not affiliated with NPR in any way will be devastated by these cuts.

What happens next?

Losing CPB funding will cause a steep, sudden increase in our costs for broadcasting and streaming music and for operating the station. Our commitment to playing great dance music will never change, but such a dramatic increase in costs means making hard choices about:

Cutting back on live broadcasts and special programs
Reduced functionality for web stream and/or on-demand audio
Reducing or eliminating the free support we provide for nonprofit organizations and community events
Reducing or eliminating paid internships and scholarships for students
Reducing the hours or eliminating our Podcast Club for students
Delaying or foregoing equipment repair and replacement

To maintain our current programs and community support, more listeners MUST step up and begin donating to c89.5.

We are committed to delivering the music you depend on and professional media training to our students. Our full-time staff of five is the smallest of all public stations in Seattle, and most of our non-staff costs are essential and non-negotiable. Without federal funding, we need to raise more money from our listeners and sponsors and/or begin making strategic choices about what services we scale back.

What can I do to help?

Thank our congressional representatives for their support — they opposed the cuts and stood up for the important service public radio and television plays in our country’s media landscape.

If you are not a current donor, now is the time to start a monthly donation or commit to donating every year.