In our corner of Eastern Kentucky, proposed cuts to public radio could literally hurt | Opinion
Proposed federal budget cuts to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting could have a huge impact on our public radio station in Morehead, WMKY.
This year, WMKY is celebrating 60 years of public service to Eastern Kentucky. Since 1965, WMKY has provided informative, educational, and entertaining programming from the campus of Morehead State University.
WMKY provides local and regional news, plus a variety of locally hosted music programs. Morehead State Public Radio also provides hands-on experience and training for MSU students. Since 1965, nearly 1,000 students have been involved as news writers and reporters, production editors, studio announcers, and music hosts.
The radio station’s operational funding is provided by four sources: Morehead State University, our listeners, local underwriters, and the CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
When the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 was enacted, it created the CPB to offer funding for public media stations like WMKY, to provide content and services that educate and inform.
To qualify to receive CPB funds, WMKY must meet yearly requirements, including being fiscally responsible, providing significant public service programming, and meeting a variety of legal, managerial, staffing, and operational criteria. For many public radio and TV stations, CPB is a lifeline for station programming and operations.
On average, we receive about one-third of our annual operating budget from the CPB, and those funds pay for popular programs from National Public Radio, African American Public Radio Consortium, Public Radio Exchange, and WFMT Radio Network. CPB funding is also used for basic operations and services from the Associated Press and transmitter facility fees.
Right now, Congress is considering proposed federal budget cuts to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. While NPR and PBS are often in the spotlight, it’s local stations in rural communities that rely on CPB support to provide local news, music, and emergency information.
Federal funding helps WMKY serve Eastern Kentucky with regional news, information, and real-time emergency alerts. In areas with limited broadband, public radio can often be the only source for news and information.
Today, I’m asking you to oppose eliminating federal funding for public media, jeopardizing our ability to operate. Contact your legislators and representatives and tell them to oppose any measures to rescind or eliminate funding to public media, specifically, eliminating federal support to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Thank you for your time and your thoughtful consideration of taking action to support public media. Most importantly, thank you for supporting Morehead State Public Radio, WMKY, celebrating sixty years of serving the communities of eastern Kentucky.
For more information, read more on our website at: www.wmky.org.
Paul Hitchcock is the general manager of Morehead State Public Radio (WMKY) at Morehead State University. A veteran broadcaster with more than 40 years of experience, Hitchcock has been with WMKY since 1986 and was named General Manager in 2003.