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Kristine Meyer: Congress should protect public broadcasting - and the communities it serves
By Kristine Meyer
I strongly urge Congress to reject destructive proposals to rescind, cut or eliminate public media funding. Cutting federal funding has a huge impact on our stations locally. It would leave many Americans, especially those in rural areas, without the critical services local public television stations provide from lifesaving public safety services to proven education resources to essential local services.
For about $1.60 per American per year, and less than one hundredth of 1% of the federal budget, the federal investment in public broadcasting allows my local station, KSPS PBS Spokane, to provide critical services through public safety partnerships, trusted services to prepare children for success in school, career education for young people, and homegrown programming such as “Northwest Profiles,” “Inland Sessions,” “Sit and Be Fit” and more.
KSPS works hard to provide its broadcasts on 30 translator systems around the Inland Northwest, so that viewers in outlying areas can receive its educational programs for children and adults alike.
As some of the last community-owned and operated media, local public media stations like KSPS provide lifesaving public safety communications and services in partnership with federal, state and local authorities.
This includes traditional alerts and warnings in communities throughout Eastern Washington, North Idaho and parts of Montana – communities that may have no other local broadcasters – and new cutting-edge technology that helps first responders communicate with each other over the broadcast spectrum without the need for mobile service or broadband.
This technology, and public television’s public safety partnerships, is already helping with weather events and natural disaster warnings and has been proven effective in a wide range of scenarios where broadband or cellular service are limited, including rural search and rescue.
Public television’s infrastructure through PBS WARN, also provides an essential pathway for the distribution of emergency alerts, enabling cell subscribers nationwide to receive geo-targeted text messages in the event of an emergency – reaching them wherever they are in times of crisis. PBS WARN, also provides the only nationwide situational awareness tool used by public safety officials to track and monitor the effectiveness of those alerts. Cuts to public broadcasting funding would significantly jeopardize public safety across the country.
For over 50 years, KSPS’ educational programming for young children, the hallmark of public television, has supported families with proven educational tools that have helped parents be their kids’ first teachers, and prepared multiple generations to be ready to learn in school and succeed in life.
Public television provides critical education resources for the over 50% of 3- to 4-year-olds in the U.S. who do not attend preschool. KSPS works with preschools, schools, libraries and other partners in the Spokane area, bringing the resources of PBS Kids to help prepare children for success in school.
KSPS connects communities in the Inland Northwest, celebrating our heroes and local history, and shining a light on the people, places, stories and issues that are at the heart of our community.
Public television is a leader in broadcasting concerts that showcase local performers, producing original documentaries about our history, and bringing partners together to address community issues. KSPS’ Career Explore Northwest program shows young people the wide range of living-wage job opportunities right here at home, helping them make important decisions about their futures – and helping local businesses fill their employment pipelines.
Federal funding for public media is irreplaceable and essential to KSPS, PBS and the existence of the public media system as a whole.
Public media has earned the broad support of the American people, across the political spectrum. That bipartisan support in the public has been consistently reflected in Congress, which approved funding for public media just a few weeks ago in the final fiscal year 2025 funding bill.
KSPS makes a difference in the lives of people throughout our community, every day. And federal funding makes it possible for us to be a lifeline to our local community.
I urge Congress to reject any rescission of funds for public media and continue to support local stations’ ability to provide essential services to communities across the country, and right here at home.
Kristine Meyer is a volunteer and the current chair of the Friends of KSPS board of directors. She is also executive director of the Avista Foundation and community investment manager for Avista. Meyer is a graduate of Gonzaga University and Gonzaga University School of Law. Meyer and her husband, Tony, make their home on a farm southwest of Pullman.