The Threats to Public Radio

LaFontaine Oliver, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, talks about the very real threats to public radio coming from Washington, and what NYPR plans to do to deal with them.

Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. As our annual winter membership drive is about to end tomorrow, and we've been talking about the political threats to multiple public broadcasting funding sources. With us now for a few minutes to take us a little deeper into what's going on is none other than the President and CEO of WNYC, LaFontaine Oliver. Hi, LaFontaine. Thanks for coming back on the show to report to our listeners.

LaFontaine Oliver: Hi, Brian. Always a pleasure to spend time with you and the listeners.

Brian Lehrer: We've been talking throughout the drive about the threats to public radio. Can you tell everybody more about what they are specifically?

LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, Brian. I would start by saying there's several buckets of threats that we're facing right now. First and foremost, several bills have been introduced before Congress, aimed at either freezing or revoking federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We've also seen a shift in the regulatory environment. The new head of the FCC, Brendan Carr, alerted NPR and PBS and stations about an open investigation into our sponsorship spots for public radio and public television stations. While we certainly are confident that our underwriting messages and practices fully comply with the FCC regulations, that is a part of another bucket of threats.

I think you've also seen and heard information about NPR and The New York Times, I believe it was NBC News, Politico, being asked to vacate long-held office space at the Pentagon. Things like that make the job of reporting information to the American public more difficult during a time when more reporting is needed. Also, NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS President Paula Kerger have been both called to testify before the Department of Government Efficiency Subcommittee in the coming weeks.

All of these things together, I think, point to a broader effort to potentially take away funding, but also to potentially destabilize the foundation of the public broadcasting system that has served this country for a number of decades.

Brian Lehrer: This certainly isn't the first time public broadcasting has come under threat. Why is this time different if you think that it is?

LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, Brian, this is certainly not the first time. I've spent quite a bit of time in public media, and I can tell you, yes, we've had these threats before, but I won't sugarcoat it. This time feels different. In the past, we have been able to really rely on bipartisan support for the federal appropriation because many, really on both sides of the aisle, believed in the value that public broadcasters brought to their local communities, and they've stood up and they've defended that.

Yes, this time does feel different. I think we're watching the broader picture of federal funding for departments and initiatives, including large agencies, from the FBI to the Department of Education, and just an overall ethos in Washington surrounding federal funding itself being problematic. That along with the general hostility towards the press, and I would say also a very, very difficult media environment, especially for local media these days, even right here in New York City, and certainly we are not immune to that, all of these things add to the feeling of it being different this time.

Brian Lehrer: If you're just joining us, WNYC President and CEO LaFontaine Oliver is with us for a few minutes as we explain some of what's going on with respect to threats to public broadcasting. Maybe it would be useful and informative to a lot of our listeners, who have no reason to have been in the weeds on this in the past, to explain a little bit about how federal funding for public broadcasting works. It's not like Congress puts a line item in the budget for WNYC, or WHYY in Philadelphia, or other stations directly like that, right?

LaFontaine Oliver: Correct. Correct, Brian. The federal appropriation is funneled through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, largely through what we call community service grants, and it's just like it sounds. These are grants that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting makes to local public radio and public television stations in order to support their ability to serve the unique local needs of their communities through the production and acquisition of programming.

It's important to note that the federal funding is- essentially, it's a match on funds that stations raise locally. Right now, the way the federal appropriation is set up, public stations actually raise $7 locally for every $1 that they receive in federal funding. It really is a powerful example of a public-private partnership, where we are leveraging that federal appropriation in order to encourage local communities to do the very thing that's happening right now during this all-important pledge drive, which is to support at the local level so that those funds that are received by stations are matched by local dollars raised in the community.

Brian Lehrer: What do we, meaning WNYC, New York Public Radio, and our New Jersey Public Radio frequencies, and our classical station, WQXR, what do we get from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and how do we use the money?

LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, great question, Brian. For us, we receive somewhere between 3% and 5% of our budget annually from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This includes our community service grant. This also includes special funding for projects that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting believes advances the mission of public broadcasting. Like here in the State of New York, we have our Albany State House Reporting Bureau, and we receive funding from CPB that supports our ability to have State House reporting and to share that reporting with stations across the region.

We are also receiving-- Right now, we're part of a tri-state music collaboration. This includes our sister station, WQXR; partners, WBGO, WFUV, WSHU. These are stations that continue to champion formats like jazz and classical music and indie rock that have been largely abandoned by commercial radio, and so there's some funding there to help these stations to work together and collaborate.

It's also important to note that outside of the direct funding that stations receive from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, there are also systemwide things that the appropriation supports. Everything from supporting music rights, so the music that is played on WNYC or QXR, or our Public Radio Satellite interconnection system, or things like emergency preparedness and the next generation warning system that allows stations like WNYC to be at the front line of alerting their local communities during times of natural disaster or crisis. It extends beyond just the direct funding that WNYC receives. It's also those systemwide resources that the federal appropriation really undergirds.

Brian Lehrer: What happens if federal funding for public broadcasting actually goes away? How would it affect us and stations around the country that might be in very different kinds of areas as well?

LaFontaine Oliver: Well, Brian, it's not overstating the case to say that if the efforts in Washington succeed, it would be the dismantling of the American public broadcasting system. As we talked before, the federal appropriation that flows through to local stations represents a different percentage of each station's budget. For us, the three to four percentage would certainly impact our ability to serve the local community here, but I think more about stations where that federal appropriation represents a larger portion of their budget, 20%, 30%.

It's also important to note that this is important funding that stations use to purchase programming from not only NPR, but from us here at New York Public Radio. We, of course, have stellar national programs like Radiolab, and On the Media, and The New Yorker Radio Hour. Stations' ability to purchase those programs, I think, would be potentially compromised.

Then finally, I would say this is a delicate ecosystem, and public radio is a community that stretches across this country. Whether it is us relying on reporters coming out of the station in Los Angeles during the wildfires, or coming up later this month, the anniversary of the Key Bridge in Baltimore and relying on reporters coming out of Baltimore to help us understand that story, or helping the nation understand what's happening here in New York City through the reporters of WNYC and Gothamist, this is an important resource that serves the American public, and it would be compromised with the loss of federal funding.

Brian Lehrer: Of course, we're asking for sustaining memberships during this fundraiser to help build what we've been calling a financial firewall against these possible cuts. What can listeners do in addition to being sustaining members?

LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, Brian. As the old saying goes, nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something. I would say one of the things that folks can do is they can visit protectmypublicmedia.org. This site has been set up to help connect local communities to their elected officials so that you can let them know that you believe in public media and that it is valuable to you personally and to your community.

As you pointed out, we would love it for folks to step up in a major way and to support this station during this fundraising drive. Every single dollar counts. Whether you are already a sustaining member and you can add to that sustaining gift, or if you can become a new member, public support and public service go hand in hand, and so having folks step up in big numbers and in big ways during this drive would go a long way.

I would also say listening to WNYC and WQXR, and downloading our podcast, and reading our stories on Gothamist, and engaging with you, Brian, and engaging with Ask Governor Murphy, and All Of It, these are all things that people can continue to do, continue to help us to reach more people. Then finally, I would say communicate with us. Let us know when you hear stories that impact you or impact your community. These nuggets of information help us to be able to really tell the story of the impact and the significance of our work.

Brian Lehrer: WNYC President and CEO LaFontaine Oliver. LaFontaine, thank you for your leadership in challenging times, for one thing, and thanks for coming on the show today and explaining some of these things to our listeners. Really appreciate it.

LaFontaine Oliver: Brian, it's always a pleasure. Thank you.

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