A letter from Tami Graham, KSUT Executive Director
Several news outlets have reported that the White House is planning to ask Congress to eliminate previously approved federal funding for public media, threatening the existence of KSUT and the entire public media system.
This is most severe threat public media has ever faced, but we have a powerful ally: you and the community members who value and support KSUT.
The most crucial step you can take to protect your local public media service is to tell Congress that you support KSUT and federal funding for public media.
Visit ProtectMyPublicMedia.org to make your voice heard now.
Once the White House sends its proposal, Congress has just 45 days to act. If lawmakers fail to approve it — or can’t get the votes to pass it — the funding will be restored.
If funding is clawed back, the consequences will be devastating for KSUT and public media stations across the country. Federal funding — only about $1.60 per person each year — powers essential services that our listeners depend on.
In 2025, 19% of KSUT’s budget will come from CPB ($333,000). Though these funding cuts are not yet approved by Congress, the request from the Administration signals a significant escalation in efforts to defund public media. This is a credible threat to our work, jeopardizing essential services that inform and unite citizens across the Four Corners. If passed, KSUT and countless other media outlets may be forced to make budget cuts that will impact our ability to provide high quality local, regional, national, and international news to the Four Corners area.
Multiple studies, including a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, have concluded that there is no viable substitute for federal funding. Research also shows that Americans strongly support federal funding for public media, including a recent YouGov poll and a study by Pew Research Center.
Local public radio and television stations are not partisan organizations—they are a direct reflection of the people who live and work in their communities. We exist to elevate local voices, celebrate the arts and culture of the regions we serve, and create space for everyone in our community to be heard. As an example, KSUT recently participated in the StoryCorps One Small Step project, partnering self-identified conservatives and liberals to discuss personal values and issues that are important to them and find commonality. To withdraw funding already promised and approved by Congress will impact local communities by weakening and perhaps shutting down valued local stations.
That’s why your outreach today is critical. If we can show Congress that most Americans value public media, we can protect the federal funding that makes KSUT possible.
At KSUT, we believe in the power of public media to unite communities, stimulate local economies, celebrate our local history and culture, and deliver essential information when you need it most. We know you value this, too, and we want to continue providing the best of public media to you.
P.S. Your voice in support of continued funding is important. Please share how public radio matters to you at ProtectMyPublicMedia.org