SALT LAKE CITY — Federal funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will directly impact all of Utah's public television and radio stations including those housed at the University of Utah: PBS Utah and KUER. Those stations alone will lose approximately $2.5 million annually.
Maria O'Mara, who oversees both stations, said the cuts represent about 15% of PBS Utah's budget and 8% of KUER's budget.
"Federal funding has been foundational since our very beginning," O'Mara said. "We are fortunate to have support from lots of local sources, but that federal funding has always helped us to be able to transmit throughout the state."
Both stations have deep roots in the community—PBS Utah has been operating for over 65 years, even predating PBS itself, while KUER has been broadcasting since 1965, before NPR was established.
O'Mara emphasized that the stations' largest expenditures go toward local programming and services, including Radio West, The Hinckley Report, gubernatorial news conferences, election debates, and educational children's programming.
The stations also provide services such as Spanish translation and American Sign Language interpretation for important civic events and broadcasts.
"We will not go dark tonight," O'Mara stated. "We will look at some difficult decisions that will maybe diminish our service, but we will be here still when Utahns need us."
The stations operate with financial transparency, with their budgets published online, and undergo regular audits from the University of Utah, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
