POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Managers of Idaho State University’s KISU public radio station say they have already started to pull back on programming and staff hours to keep the station running following federal budget cuts to public broadcasting.
On July 18, Congress passed the Trump administration’s $9 billion rescission package, which included about $1 billion in budget cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the main funder of NPR, PBS, and their local affiliate stations.
“We got word from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that they would start to wind down their services and have a presence until the end of this year; after which, their offices would be closed,” said Jamon Anderson, general manager of KISU.
Anderson said the budget cuts and closure of CPB mean ISU’s in-house public radio outlet will lose over $100,000 in funding for the next fiscal year, 33% of their regular annual budget.
In an effort to keep costs down and keep KISU afloat, Anderson said they have already paused several local shows and cut down on part-time and student worker hours.
“It’s really difficult for a small station like KISU to make up $130,000 in just cuts to a number of different small things,” said Anderson. “The larger stations or the larger public media outlets, if you look at in our state, Boise State Public Radio or Idaho Public Television, those are much larger organizations that have many more ways to make up those cuts; so, for us, the question still remains, how will we make up all of that lost funding?”
Anderson said they have had an influx of support and donations from community and local businesses following the federal cuts, but the station, he said, still has a long way to go before reaching financial stability again.
As sole radio broadcaster of ISU Athletics, KISU will also continue airing their popular radio broadcasts of Idaho State sports games for as long as they are able.
“Those broadcasts are quite self-sustaining, meaning that we receive funding from the ISU Athletics Department that cover the costs,” said Anderson. “But the biggest question right now is, will there be a radio station that can house those broadcasts past this year? That’s the big question that we need to answer.”
For more information on how you can support KISU, visit their website at www.kisu.org.
