WYES, WWNO, WWOZ face major cuts.
NEW ORLEANS — As the Trump administration slashes public broadcast funding, voices and faces many New Orleanians know and trust are bracing for the blow.
“This is a historical moment,” said Robin Cooper, president and CEO of WYES. “We’ve faced challenges in the past, but nothing like it is now.”
An act approved by Congress on Friday revokes more than $1 billion in federal funding that supports PBS, NPR, and their local affiliates.
In New Orleans, WYES, WWNO, and WWOZ are among the stations that will bear part of that burden.
“This is the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced,” Cooper said.
According to Cooper, WYES will lose $800,000 in federal funding, more than ten percent of its budget.
“That will be difficult, and almost impossible to replace,” she said. “Whether that’s going to be programs or staff or anything or everything is on the table.”
WWOZ says it’s looking for ways to bridge a $400,000 gap, and WWNO General Manager Paul Maassen says the NPR affiliate stands to lose over $200,000.
“We are pretty lean as it is right now,” Maassen said. “Our staff is not that big, so even losing one or two people, that’s a big deal for us.”
One of Maassen’s biggest concerns is how these cuts could impact the station’s ability to keep the public informed in times of crisis.
“Hurricanes are coming through and we’re airing press conferences and doing all kinds of stuff to get information out to people as quickly as we can,” he said.
Despite the potential fallout, many Louisiana lawmakers supported the act. Senator John Kennedy called PBS “deeply weird, left-wing media” that taxpayers may “finally” stop funding.
For now, station leaders say they’ll be leaning on their loyal listeners more than ever.
“We rely on our community, which is our largest source of support,” Cooper said.
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