PEORIA, Ill. – Public media in the Peoria-area are reacting to a President Trump executive order that could cut a portion of their federal funding.
It calls for “direct funding” to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to be eliminated, which distributes the funds to member stations.
In a Facebook video, WTVP President and CEO Jenn Gordon says the station’s finances could be up in the air again. WTVP had CPB funding restored last month after working to be in good standing again, in the wake of an embezzlement scandal from former CEO Lesley Matuszak.
“The great news is that we did that, we are now a station in good standing with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” Gordon said. “And that we know there’s some threats to federal funding on the whole.”
Gordon says that funding is about 30% of the annual budget, which she estimates can be between $850,000 to $1 million each year. She says that funding helps cover programming costs to PBS, as well as operational costs.
Gordon says there will not be an immediate impact. But she notes that the CPB is not beholden to an executive order, as the money has been appropriated through Congress already.
Public radio station WCBU says it has received its funding for 2025 already through a community service grant, which it says funds news programs “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” But in a statement, WCBU leadership, which also operates WGLT in Bloomington-Normal, says the station could see a loss of 127-thousand dollars in its budget with the cuts.
“It is too soon to say how much a delay or cuts in funding and/or changes to CSGs prohibiting those grants from paying for NPR programming will impact the NPR Network and/or eliminate programming and staffing,” the statement reads.
WCBU says its top priority will be to protect and retain its staff.
WTVP and WCBU leadership are urging people to go to a website to reach out to legislators to keep their funding.
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