COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Local station KAMU is facing the budget ax, after President Trump recently decided to end federal funding for the Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio.
- Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to cut federal funding for these public broadcasters — calling these public broadcasters news reports 'biased' and 'radical, woke propaganda'.
- These potential cuts could impact KAMU, Texas A&M's local public broadcasting station — whos revenue is made up of about 30% of federal funding.
- These federal cuts would impact their staff size and the type of programming used in both TV and radio.
- To learn more about the federal funding cuts, click here.
- To make a donation to KAMU, click here.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I think it could cause some issues, especially because PBS, they provide a lot of high quality educational content for children, especially for non-profit," College Station resident Kevin Pineda said.
NPR and PBS have been serving our community for more than 50 years.
"Growing up, we didn't have cable TV, so we relied strictly on public broadcast. So, I think without a lot of those shows or programs, I would have been very unaware as a child and a lot of those things kind of helped me develop who I am today, just being more aware in the community," Pineda said.
But, earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to cut federal funding for these public broadcasters.
"We rely on corporation for public broadcasting funding to do practically everything that we do," KAMU Associate Executive Director, Jay Socol said.
15 ABC sat down with the associate executive director for KAMU — Texas A&M's local public broadcasting station — who talked to 15 ABC and said that federal funding makes up about 30% of their revenue.
"When you're talking about 30% of our revenue, it really does jeopardize what we're able to do for this community. "
15 ABC asked Socol what would happen if this funding were to be taken away.
"If this funding was either eliminated or restricted in some way or reduced, it would affect our ability to have the staff the size that we have, and especially an impact on the programming."
But, Socol wants to assure neighbors in our community that KAMU will continue to educate, entertain, and inform the neighbors of the Brazos Valley.
"Generations of people have grown up learning and being entertained and informed from KAMU, and we want to make sure we continue that for generations to come," he said.
