Rural and Tribal Public Radio Stations Brace for Funding Cuts

Jamie Roberts was at home in Wrangell, Alaska, in November 2023, when she heard what sounded like a jet overhead. Her first thought was that an Alaska Airlines flight was about to crash—but this was no plane. It was the roar of mud, rocks, and trees barreling down the mountain, smashing through homes and swallowing the island’s only highway.

The landslide Roberts observed killed six Wrangell residents and severed access to power, internet, and roadways for weeks. Throughout the crisis, she and others in the community relied on the local radio station, KSTK, for emergency information, rescue coordination, updates from local officials, and advice on accessing essential services. “Radio was critical,” Roberts said. “It was our lifeline.”

Today, stations like KSTK are facing an existential crisis. Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to cease all funding to NPR and PBS and to eliminate indirect sources of public financing like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually to stations nationwide. The move could wipe out funding appropriated through 2026 and 2027, endangering stations that already operate on razor-thin margins. “If CPB funding disappears, I don’t know how we’d survive,” said Cindy Sweat, KSTK’s general manager.