Both houses of Congress passed, and President Trump signed, the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminates $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for FY26 and FY27 and over $7 billion in funding for foreign aid programs.
What does this mean for WYSO? We must raise an additional $300,000 this fiscal year and at least $300,000 in FY27 to make up for the funding we expected to receive from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. With your support, we can recover from this budget shortfall without having to compromise our quality of service. We will also urge Congress to restore funding starting in FY28. You can learn more about that here.
If you're already a WYSO member and can afford to do more, please consider donating a little extra to a rural or small station in need.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is the federally funded nonprofit entity that distributes federal funding grants to public media stations—including WYSO. The CPB is not a broadcaster, but an independent, nonprofit organization created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund programming, stations and technology.
Interference with the CPB and eliminating its funding will negatively impact the ability for many stations to serve the people who need it most. Learn more, including how to contact your members of Congress to ask them to restore funding, at Protect My Public Media.
WYSO is one of 1,500+ locally and independently managed stations that were funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) through an annual Community Service Grant. And we rely on pooled resources from CPB including satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, and the ability to collectively license music.
Now that this funding is gone for at least the next 2 years, the whole network would be impacted in ways that will also impact WYSO.
What are the key things I should know about federal funding for public broadcasting?
- Public media currently reaches 99% of the U.S. population and serves millions of Americans every day. This broad reach could decrease because some rural and very small stations may not survive this funding loss—even if it is temporary.
- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an independent nonprofit that distributes federal dollars (an average of $1.60 per American annually) to local stations. That money is used to invest in programming and services according to each community’s needs. NPR and PBS themselves receive 1% or less of their funding directly from the CPB.
- About 8% of WYSO's annual funding came from the CPB–that’s about $300,000 for our current fiscal year, which began July 1, 2025.
- CPB funding allows public media stations to pool resources towards satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, music licensing and development of educational programs, all of which would be too expensive for stations to do on their own.
- We do not yet know all of the negative impacts of this funding cut. Learn more at Protect My Public Media.
WYSO is an NPR member station, part of a nationwide public media network that serves millions of Americans. This network reaches nearly 99% of the population with free and accessible programs, regardless of population density, income or geographic challenges.
Public media stations are partially funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Each station is locally managed and makes programming and service decisions to address unique community needs and interests. At WYSO, these programs and services include the national shows you enjoy, like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and World Cafe, as well local favorites such as Book Nook, Midday Music, and all of the Community Voices series you hear.
Public media’s service also includes things like lifesaving emergency alerts through its management and operation of the Public Radio Satellite System.
The need for and value of federal funding for public media has become a common topic, so we’ve put together these frequently asked questions about how public media funding works, and what impact the absence of that funding may have on public radio and television here and across the country. If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at wyso@wyso.org.
What is the CPB’s role in public broadcasting?
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is distinct from both NPR and PBS. It is not a broadcaster, but an independent, nonprofit organization created by Congress in 1967 with two primary functions: to serve as a firewall between partisan politics and public broadcasting, and to help fund programming, stations and technology.
Funding for CPB is established through the federal budget annual appropriations process two years in advance with the intention of insulating funding from political pressures. Its total annual appropriation was over $500 million. The CPB is responsible for allocating their funds from the federal budget in any way that fulfills their mission: to ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial free and free of charge.
NPR and PBS receive 1% (or less) of their funding from the CPB; the majority of CPB funding goes directly to local stations (including WYSO) so we can decide how best to program for our communities.
How much CPB funding does WYSO receive?
Approximately 8% of WYSO’s budgeted revenue comes from the CPB, about $300,000 per year for FY26 and FY27. That amount is calculated using a complex formula that takes into account our area’s population and how much funding we are able to raise locally from donations by individuals and support from small businesses and organizations.
Why does WYSO (or any station) need federal funding?
Even though member and local business support makes up the bulk of WYSO’s funding, federal funding — which costs an average of $1.60 per American per year — makes public media as you currently know it possible.
CPB’s investment directly supports local stations across the country and enables them to provide essential programs and services. If federal funding is eliminated or severely restricted, public media stations could be forced to cut some or all of the following:
- Signature educational content as set forth in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
- Important public safety communications during natural disasters
- Music and cultural programming
- Local newsrooms and personnel providing information essential to the well-being of local communities
Some stations, particularly those in rural areas securing a larger percentage of their revenue from the CPB, could even be forced off the air. In many rural communities, particularly in mountainous areas and in many parts of Alaska, public media stations are the only local sources of news.
Stable funding from the CPB and other sources have made it possible for WYSO to establish a strong system of local news reporting which Miami Valley residents can rely upon over a long period of time. It also makes it possible to maintain our radio transmitter to deliver essential services that provide the public with local, national and world news as well as daily weather forecasts, alerts and warnings.
What would happen if WYSO lost CPB funding?
WYSO is working now to raise the $300,000 in lost CPB funds from donors and business sponsors. We don't yet know the full impacts of this funding loss for the whole public media system.
Stations across the country rely on pooled resources from CPB for essential infrastructure including satellite interconnection, emergency alert systems, the ability to license music, and to develop educational programs. The whole network will be impacted in ways that would also impact WYSO.
Why is public broadcasting needed when we can get news and content from so many sources?
Local public media stations provide critical information and arts and culture programming— always free of charge — to help citizens make informed decisions and feel connected to their community.
For example, recent stories about increased visitor numbers to Ohio food banks and reporting about Ohio’s first year of its summer EBT program have helped Miami Valley residents understand the prevalence of food insecurity in many communities.
Our recent Community Voices series Haitians in the Heartland focused on the lives and immigration experiences of some of Springfield’s Haitian residents. We wanted to co-produce and share that series to combat the stereotypes about Springfield’s Haitian community in the wake of the 2024 election.
Finally, WYSO makes music discovery accessible to all through our music programming on WYSO, WYSO HD-2, and our streaming channel Novaphonic. We understand our mission to inform and inspire our community includes celebrating local and regional musicians alongside those on national and global stages. WYSO is one of the only stations in our area to offer a human-curated mix of local and national indie rock and pop, hip-hop, funk, jazz, and bluegrass music, alongside numerous other genres. Our knowledgeable music hosts are a combination of paid staff and community volunteers who choose their playlists themselves every day because they know you value the music exploration WYSO and Novaphonic offer.
WYSO's public service goes beyond the airwaves. Our robust website and mobile apps provide local and statewide news stories, expanded versions of our storytelling series, and archived versions of interviews and live performances with musicians.
With the number of local journalists declining nationwide and increased division and isolation in our country, independent and nonprofit public media organizations like WYSO continue to provide a high level of service to communities. Public media abides by rigorous ethical standards to ensure our content cannot be influenced by commercial interests. In a time where anyone can post their opinion to social media, journalism grounded in rigorous fact-checking is essential to inform decisions that affect our health and safety, our finances, our democracy and our future.
A free press is vital to a functional democracy, and public media plays a key role in sustaining the civic fabric of our country. We exist to serve the public, not make a profit.
How can I take action to advocate for continued support of public media?
Make your voice heard by visiting ProtectMyPublicMedia.org for resources to help you contact members of Congress and sign a petition to restore CPB funding for public media. You can also tell your friends and family why public media is important to you and why it's worth protecting.
Local community support is our largest and most stable source of funding, and no matter how this shakes out, continuing our public service will require your ongoing support. If you’re already a contributing member, thank you! If you’re not, or if you can give more generously, now is an excellent time to join or increase your support.
Previous updates:
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. House passed the amended Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminates all previously-approved federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for FY26 and FY27.
On June 12, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved the Rescissions Act of 2025, which eliminates $1.1 billion in previously-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and billions of dollars for foreign aid programs. The House vote was 214-212, in favor of approving the rescissions. The U.S. Senate must now vote on these rescissions by July 18, 2025, though the vote will likely happen sooner than that
On June 3, 2025, NPR reported that the White House officially asked Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasters. Congress now has 45 days to adopt or reject the request.
On May 2, 2025 the Trump administration sent their FY26 budget proposal to Congress, and it includes eliminating all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is sep
On May 1, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order seeking to end all direct and indirect federal funding for NPR and PBS "to the maximum extent allowed by law."
On April 28, 2025, the Trump administration attempted to fire 3 board members from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.