A Letter from NYPR’s President & CEO and Executive Chair LaFontaine Oliver

Today Congress dealt a devastating blow to the American public broadcasting system and the informed, inspired nation we work every day to bring into being.

The Senate and the House have passed a devastating bill to claw back two years of already-approved federal funding from NPR, PBS, and all member stations across the country. For us at New York Public Radio, it means the immediate elimination of about $3 million from this year’s budget, and another $3 million next year. It’s funding that goes directly to sharing life-saving information and life-affirming stories. Funding that holds our government accountable; brings people together in good-faith conversation; and lifts up classical music and the arts.

In plain speech, this is the worst possible outcome of a months-long series of attacks, effectively ending federal funding for public media, which has enjoyed bipartisan support since 1967—and still does. It also signals that the Senate will likely greenlight the complete defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in White House budget proposal, cutting this critical resource for the foreseeable future.

As challenging as all of this is to take in, I want to state emphatically: this will not be the end of public media, or New York Public Radio.

So, what now?

We will, of course, continue to fight. In partnership with our colleagues across the nation, we will use every tool at our disposal to try to preserve future federal funding—though it will be an uphill battle. We will keep you in the loop on how to fight with us, as it was your powerful advocacy that helped keep the margin so painfully slim in both the House and the Senate.

While we fight, we need to move quickly to protect our sustainability and keep our services uninterrupted. We’ve entered a radically different financial landscape overnight, and we must rework our business model to adapt. We’ve been preparing for this possibility for many months, and ambitious plans are already in the works. As always, though, the first place we turn when times get tough is the people who rely on us most, and believe most strongly in what we do. In other words, the first place we turn is you.

If you aren’t yet a supporter, I humbly and urgently ask you to join us right now. If you already contribute, I hope you’ll consider increasing your support, and making your donation monthly by becoming a sustaining member.

About one of every five listeners is currently a member. If we can shift that to 1 in 4, we’ll close the $3 million gap to get us through this year. We can also get there if each of our current sustaining members gives an additional $3 a month.

I know we’ve been reaching out a lot lately, and I’m beyond grateful for all the ways you’ve been stepping forward. This truly is a moment unlike any we’ve faced before, so I thank you for reaching even deeper if you’re able.

I also want to make it clear that we will do everything in our power to help secure the future of the entire public media system—not just our own. We are currently working with major philanthropic donors on a sustainable project to aid at-risk stations as they regroup and rebuild. Please keep an eye out for more on that, or reach out to giving@newyorkpublicradio.org if you’d like to get involved.

Thank you for all you do to support fearless, joyful, independent public media. This is a difficult day, but we’ll get through it as we always do—together.