Transcript
Wyoming Public Media, as we know it, is at risk.. in this legislative session.
The Joint Appropriations Committee has voted to eliminate the annual funding this service receives through the University of Wyoming block grant. This funding supports eight staff positions across engineering, news, programming, and FCC compliance. Losing it would directly affect our ability to operate transmission sites across Wyoming, provide Emergency Alert System information, cover Wyoming news, and continue the Wyoming Sounds music station.
The Committee cited two primary reasons for the cut:
- to align Wyoming with the current administration's efforts to defund NPR, and
- to push Wyoming Public Media to compete in the open commercial market without state support.
Problem is, WPM operates under a Non‑Commercial Educational license, which defines our funding model, our on‑air sound, and the regulations we follow. This license ensures that we remain focused on education, public service, and community‑centered programming — not commercial revenue. In other words, Wyoming Public Media cannot advertise like commercial radio.
WPM operates 4 radio stations for a total of 672 hours per week. While some critics focus on NPR, only 13% of our schedule is dedicated to national programming. The rest is local and cultural programming that is important to Wyoming.
The proposed budget cut would do serious damage to the station. The state of Wyoming doesn’t have the population base to replace the loss of $1.6 million dollars every two years through fundraising alone.
That’s why Wyoming Public Media needs your.. help.. now. If you value this station, please contact your legislators and ask them to reinstate the funding cut to Wyoming Public Media and not put this vital service at risk. Call your friends and neighbors and encourage them to do the same.