Congressional Republicans have eliminated more than $1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting (NPR and PBS), while Florida Governor Ron Desantis has rejected about $6 million in funding for public broadcasting in Florida.
But now, Democrats are claiming that “the sky is falling.” With all cuts by the GOP, the report said, “public media cuts could leave millions in the dark during disasters,” the report said.
The report says 79 public radio stations and 33 television stations in 34 states and territories are at the imminent risk of darkening if there is a cut.
“Nearly 13 million Americans live in the community under the threat of losing local public broadcasters. Worse, these stations offer large swaths in the West, Midwest and Southeastern United States where there is risk of wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and other public safety emergency,” the report says.
Democrats also said that cutting public television and radio would hurt people living in rural communities the most. “For millions of Americans, these stations are often the only source of emergency information during weather disasters. In rural areas, public broadcasters could be the only source of information in emergencies, and were disproportionately affected by reduced federal funding,” Democrats said in the report.
“According to Democrats, public broadcasting is the only source of information that people receive news and weather reports. It is called a mobile app and allows everyone to follow the weather from other local and television stations. NPR and PBS act like they are not the only sources of emergency.”
70% of funds sent directly to local public radio and television stations come from the federal government.
One report showed that a local PBS television station in Cocoa, Florida, received approximately 35% of its revenue from state funds.
