Austinites have stepped up in droves to support KUT and KUTX, the city’s public radio stations, after a bill pulling $1.1 billion back from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting was approved by Congress and sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for a final OK.
Roughly 700 people have become paying members at KUT since the cuts, said Debbie Hiott, KUT's general manager.
“I just want to double down on my gratitude for Austin, because we are really fortunate,” Hiott told City Cast Austin.
Federal funding made up about 6%, or $1.2 million, of KUT’s budget for the next two years, and if the station is not able to fill that gap on its own, Hiott said reporting vacancies may go unfilled and hosted on-air hours may drop. KUT is also looking at boosting other revenue sources, like events, because they don’t plan to rely on the funding coming back.
“It’s probably the new normal,” Hiott said.
In addition to slashing CPB dollars, the bill, which was pushed by the Trump administration, also called for removing roughly $8 billion from foreign assistance programs.
Looking to the future, KUT plans to continue reporting out local news — including covering state government — and running a music station that highlights Austin music. The KUT newsroom is one of the larger NPR stations in the country, Hiott said, and has already benefitted from a large Austin community of supporters. Smaller stations like Marfa Public Radio, and stations in Abilene and Lubbock could be in larger jeopardy, Hiott said.
“They're going to be in a tough situation too, because they get a lot more federal funding,” she said.
Austin’s PBS station, which puts on the historic TV show “Austin City Limits,” will also be hit, losing about $3 million. The station’s website says the effects of the cuts will be felt immediately, and the organization is asking for donations from the community. There’s also a benefit scheduled for Aug. 21, featuring Jason Isbell.
“‘Austin City Limits’ and PBS were and are an essential part of education, understanding, curiosity and empathy, which are the essentials and building blocks of humanity,” Willie Nelson, who was on the show’s first ever episode, told Billboard.
