Congress recently approved a Trump administration plan to take back $1.1 billion in federal funding already allocated to local public media stations. The move has serious implications for public media outlets across the country, including Connecticut Public, which stands to lose about $2 million annually.
Connecticut Public President and CEO Mark Contreras said that while the organization isn’t in immediate peril, the decision presents a serious challenge.
“For us, that $2 million is about 10% of our total budget,” Contreras said in an interview with Connecticut Public. “There are stations across the country that get north of 70% of their budgets from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I think that’s an insurmountable challenge. Ten percent of our budget is a surmountable challenge.”
Contingency plans
That challenge is one the organization has been planning for.
“We have to begin a process — and we have begun it prior to the vote, incidentally — to develop new ways of communicating with people, as well as new ways to generate revenue,” he said.
Contreras says the organization has plans to launch additional fundraising campaigns focused on growing monthly donor support. He says the organization is also exploring ways to broaden philanthropic investment and deepen community partnerships.
One thing not in the plans, he said, is major changes to how consumers experience Connecticut Public.
“I think if you’re a listener or a viewer, you should see virtually the same offerings of local Connecticut content that you see today,” he said.
Addressing accusations of liberal bias
Some supporters of the funding cut argue that public media leans left and doesn’t deserve taxpayer support. Contreras is among those rejecting that claim.
“We are about as purple an organization as you can get,” he said. “Most of the topics we cover have to do with Connecticut state and local issues. Those in most cases are neither red nor blue.”
He added: “We focus on the work that is core to our mission, which is serving the people of the state of Connecticut — Republicans, Democrats and independents — without fear or favor to anyone.”
A call to become a member
Federal funding is not among Connecticut Public’s top three sources of income. Contreras identified those as membership, philanthropy and underwriting.
According to data compiled by Connecticut Public:
- Before the federal funding cuts, membership was Connecticut Public’s largest source of operating revenue, at about 33%.
- About 5% of Connecticut Public’s overall audience are members.
Contreras urged the 95% of Connecticut Public’s audience who are not members to do so.
“One of the most impactful things you can do, if you’re not already a member, is to become a member,” he said. “What is extra helpful is to become a sustaining member.”
Sustainers could make the difference
A monthly sustaining member of Connecticut Public commits to making an ongoing contribution of a specified amount with no predetermined end date. They authorize Connecticut Public to automatically charge a fixed amount from their credit card or bank account on an ongoing basis.
Just under half of Connecticut Public’s members are sustainers, according to Lauren Komrosky, Connecticut Public’s chief digital officer.
“If every existing member — sustainers and annual donors — gave $13 a month or more, Connecticut Public would cover the entire loss of funding this year,” she said.
Contreras noted that member response in recent months has been encouraging.
“We’ve had many members increase the amount that they contribute, as well as a number of new donors, which is to us an indication that the work our journalists do is valued by the public,” he said.
The broader message
Contreras said the funding rollback spearheaded by the Trump administration sends a clear message.
“It sends a message that the many things that public media does — radio, television and other services — are not important from their point of view,” he said. “I beg to differ.”
He emphasized the essential public safety role that public stations serve.
“When there’s a tsunami coming in Alaska, or a tornado coming in Kansas, that’s also what public media delivers,” he said.
Calling the rescission “short-sighted and ill-conceived,” Contreras said he hopes lawmakers will eventually reverse course.
“But we are where we are now, and we’re going to deal with reality square in the face,” he said.
Looking ahead
Are there conversations at the national level, among NPR and PBS, about mounting a response to try to restore the funding? Or are there wealthy donors who might be interested in stepping in to bridge the funding gap?
Contreras is not aware of any specific plans. Conversations are complicated by the structure of the public media system, he said.
“The system … was set up in the mid-’60s to have independently owned and operated stations all around the country,” he explained. “Each station is free to make its own programming decisions, staffing decisions and many other operational decisions.”
While hopeful for eventual progress, Contreras acknowledged the road ahead won’t be simple.
“The coordination of efforts is going to take some doing to be able to get us back, hopefully, to where we were,” he said. “But as of today, I’m hopeful that something could be worked out.”
Connecticut Public executives did not review this story before it was published.
