WQED leader vows to continue work in face of possible federal funding cuts

Pittsburgh’s public radio and television stations will remain in business even if federal financial support ends, their leaders maintain.

They’re also encouraging their listeners and viewers to lobby their legislators to preserve the $1.1 billion the government provides the Corporation for Public Broadcasting each year.

The matter remained unsettled Wednesday evening as the Senate deadlocked along party lines as they debate whether to rescind $9 billion in federal funding as requested by the Trump administration.

The bulk of the cash is foreign aid. But the broadcasting funding was to be part of federal support of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, now ubiquitously known as NPR and PBS.

This year, a Trump executive order prohibited federal agencies from making grants to PBS and NPR and directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to follow suit.

The legislation being considered is an attempt to claw back already allocated funds as part of the administration’s efforts to cut costs, end so-called woke policies like diversity, equity and inclusion policies and things like NPR and PBS, which some conservatives contend have a liberal bias.

The Senate was considering it Wednesday and if approved, the House would consider the legislation Thursday or Friday.

Stances on the package fall along party lines, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposed, including U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Braddock.

“Mr. Rogers, a Pittsburgh icon, taught us kindness and empathy. My wife, Gisele, learned English watching PBS, where Big Bird and Elmo have educated generations of American kids. NPR’s ‘Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!’ has kept millions of families entertained on road trips across the country,” Fetterman said.

“As a father, it’s personal, and I can’t understand why we’re even considering taking away this programming for families across the nation,” Fetterman said. “These cuts threaten the small, local stations — particularly in rural communities — that rely on federal funding to inform the public on essential news and emergency alerts.

“Republicans’ decision to eliminate this funding undermines the very values of family and education they claim to champion.”

Sen. David McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Both Terry O’Reilly, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp., and Jason Jedlinski, his counterpart at WQED Multimedia, were paying attention to the actions of the Senate on Wednesday afternoon.

They’ve asked their listeners to lobby against the funding cuts and have met with Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, both told TribLive, and Jedlinski said he met Tuesday with Fetterman on the issue.

“We continue to do our work, and even if the money is clawed back, we will continue to do our work,” Jedlinski said.

The CPB provides about 5% of the annual funding for broadcasters like WESA, WYEP and WQED.

Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp., which operates the radio stations, has an annual budget of about $7 million and WQED Multimedia’s budget is about $14 million.

WQED gets about $3 million in government grants and other federal funding each year while the radio stations’ federal support is about $370,000 per year, according to readily available audited annual financial statements.

The stations do not release the number of members who provide financial support, but O’Reilly said the support is vital and that people are willing to provide it.

“There’s no question the voices of public radio are heard right now,” O’Reilly said, “the question is whether they are being listened to.”

Even if the government ends its financial backing, public support will continue, O’Reilly said.

“The folks who listen are folks who give, and we know we can rely on them,” he said.