Thank you to everyone who contributed during KLCC's spring membership drive. It was a resounding success, capped off by earning the final $5,000 challenge--just last night.
Your investment in KLCC fuels the work we do every day. Our entire team is tremendously grateful.
Alongside this welcome news, it’s also a time of uncertainty for public media—and for KLCC. As our team of journalists, hosts and producers continues to serve communities across western and central Oregon, we are carefully monitoring actions at the federal level that could severely impact our ability to continue this work. Many of you have expressed concern over reports of funding challenges to public media. As our partners, we wanted to share what we know.
At the center of this latest challenge is a budget rescission request that seeks to withdraw funding already allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). If successful, this move would undermine decades of bipartisan support for public media and put hundreds of local stations at risk—including KLCC.
Why this matters for KLCC and for Oregon
The level of funding provided through CPB is calculated proportionally, rewarding the support generated by our local community. In most years, this grant amounts to about 10% of KLCC's operating budget. In addition to direct support, CPB also covers shared services, such as music licensing fees, program distribution, and essential digital infrastructure that would cost considerably more to replace independently.
This federal funding helps ensure universal access to local news, national programs, emergency alerts, arts and music programming, and thoughtful community dialogue across all of Oregon, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Here’s what we know
In March, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution that maintained CPB’s forward-funded budget through FY2027—typically a signal of stability for the system.
However, a subsequent rescission request seeks to cancel those funds, putting the future of CPB and the public media ecosystem at risk. The rescission memo is expected to be formally presented to Congress on April 28.
Another possible threat is the budget reconciliation process expected in early May, which could also include proposals to cut or eliminate funding for public broadcasting.
While these threats are serious, the proposed cuts have not yet been enacted. We believe it’s important to keep our community informed—and we want you to know that these changes are possible, but not final.
If you’d like to follow developments and learn how to help protect public media, you'll find resources at ProtectMyPublicMedia.org.
What KLCC is doing
KLCC’s commitment to local journalism and cultural coverage has produced meaningful results. In recent weeks, alone, our newsroom has reported on critical issues across the region:
- CAHOOTS service ending in Eugene, effective immediately
- Bill before Oregon lawmakers aims to limit private equity, corporate interest in Oregon healthcare
- UO activists fear targeting after arrest of pro-Palestinian protester
- U.S. Forest Service firings across Oregon having serious impacts
- Huge crowd turns out in Eugene to denounce President Trump’s actions
These are the kinds of news stories KLCC is uniquely positioned to report—and your support makes them possible.
KLCC remains committed to our service mission. With your support, our team has grown stronger through our Amplifying Oregon Voices campaign, launched in 2020. This locally funded initiative has expanded our newsroom, deepened coverage of the region, and extended our reach through digital platforms. While the success of this campaign provides KLCC some stability to weather short-term financial challenges, these resources are not infinite. A structural change in the public media landscape will put our growth in jeopardy.
We’re working with other public media organizations to inform lawmakers about the essential role KLCC and others play in providing coverage where commercial outlets have pulled back.
Why your support matters now
If CPB funding is rescinded, the consequences will ripple through every part of the public media system. The national network KLCC is proud to be part of would be weakened—reducing our ability to deliver trusted national and international news, and threatening programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Communities that already lack reliable news coverage would fall even further behind. KLCC is determined not to let that happen.
We believe that just as KLCC was built by Oregon, it can be sustained by Oregonians like us. We remain committed to strengthening local news and cultural programming, even as doing so may become more challenging.
We’ll keep you updated as developments unfold. In the meantime, thank you for being part of the KLCC community—and for standing with us to protect local journalism, Oregon culture, and the public media values we share.
With gratitude,
Jim Rondeau
General Manager
