TAMPA, Fla. — From Mr. Rogers to Sesame Street. From Downton Abbey to the documentaries of filmmaker Ken Burns.
They’re shows so many Americans love and grew up on, and they were broadcast on local PBS stations thanks to funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.
WATCH: Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutdown will impact Tampa's PBS and NPR stations
But the future of public media is now in question.
Friday, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced plans to shut down in the coming months after a $1.1 billion cut in federal funding.
President Donald Trump and others believe public media is left-leaning.
The funding cut and phase-out of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will have a direct impact in Tampa Bay at both WUSF, Tampa’s NPR radio station, and at WEDU, the area’s PBS station.
Paul Grove, the President and CEO of WEDU, said the funding cut would leave Tampa’s PBS station with a $2.8 million hole.
“The gap that we have is a huge gap,” he said. “WEDU has been around for 70 years — nearly — and we expect to be here for another 70 years.”
Grove is optimistic, but the cut will have an impact.
It will need to look for other revenue generators. Local programs it produces might be delayed. WEDU might also have to buy less national programming.
“There’s some national programming that will decrease,” Grove said. “We’ll see some of the seasons of some of the favorite programs possibly shrink.”
He also can’t rule out a reduction in staff.
“We don’t know just yet,” Grove said.
WUSF is facing a roughly $800,000 loss in funding, according to General Manager JoAnn Urofsky.
“The stations are staying on mission to provide news, public safety information and classical music and arts to the residents of Florida despite cutbacks of $800,000,” Urofsky wrote.
However, the radio station will need donors to help fill the funding gap. Same for WEDU.
“It can’t just be a small bump for a short period of time. It has to be something people believe in long-term,” Grove said.
Only with that support will his station be able to continue its mission — a mission that Grove says is without a political agenda.
“I don’t believe PBS and WEDU is left-leaning,” he said.
Grove said the only agenda at WEDU is to educate, to document the area’s history and culture, and to inform Tampa Bay during emergencies.
Donate to WEDU’s current fundraising campaign at this link. Donate to WUSF’s current campaign at this one.
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