Protect My Public Media

Thank you for standing with us. Your voices have been heard, and your contributions to Ideastream Public Media have been received with sincere appreciation.

In the early hours of July 17th, 2025, the Senate passed H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, by a vote of 51-48. The vote rescinded $1.1 billion that had previously been approved for CPB for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. That means that Ideastream Public Media, along with every other public media station in the system, will not receive Community Service Grant (CSG) dollars for their fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Because the package was amended to remove other cuts, it will have to go back to the House to be passed again. There is still a slim chance for the House to reject the amended package.

Call or email your representatives and tell them why they should vote against this rescission:

If you’re not yet a monthly sustainer, please consider joining today. Your steady support is vital. Increasing your monthly gift or becoming an Idealeader can make an even greater difference:

The absence of these funds will have a substantial impact on both our local operations and on PBS and NPR’s ability to produce, acquire, and distribute the high-quality programming we have all come to appreciate and enjoy:

How To Get Involved

Call and Email Your Representatives

Your voice matters now more than ever. Call or email your representatives to oppose this rescission and protect Ideastream Public Media. If you’ve already contacted your local lawmakers, you can contact them again.

Become a Member

Community support is the lifeblood of public media. Contributions from members help sustain our ability to provide independent news, educational programming, and arts content. 

Be an Advocate

Stand up for public media, help raise awareness and inspire others to act! Whether you share your story, engage on social media, contact Congress, or encourage others to act, every voice makes a difference.

Stay Informed

Follow updates from Ideastream Public Media and other public media organizations to learn more about potential funding changes and how you can help.

Public Media Facts

• Millions of Americans use public media every month. 42 million Americans experience public radio across platforms through more than 1,207 public radio station each week. 160+ million Americans watch public television through 357 public television stations over the course of the year. 

• Public media is available to almost everyone. Public radio and television stations serve nearly 99% of the United States, including the most remote communities, with high-quality, non-commercial programming and services every day. 

• Public media is one of America’s most effective public/private partnerships. Annual federal funding amounts to about $1.60 per person and is leveraged by local stations to raise six times that amount from other sources. 

• Public media funding represents .01 percent of the federal budget. Cutting public media funding would have little impact on the national debt but would devastate local stations’ ability to serve their communities. 

• Public media is locally rooted. Each station is locally managed and makes programming and service decisions to address unique community needs and interests. 

• Public media makes communities safer. As the backbone of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), public media stations help keep the public informed and safe during emergencies. 

• Public media supports lifelong learning for all Americans. Investments in children’s educational, cultural, public affairs and news content, digital classroom resources, teacher training, and distance learning have made public media a leader in lifelong learning. 

• Public media preserves local history and culture. Through thoughtful storytelling, public media stations provide in-depth programs on the people, places and events that shape their communities. 

• Public media strengthens our democracy. Fact-based news and civil dialogue empower us to participate in the political process as informed citizens. 

• Public media helps prepare children for success in school. Public media’s early educational content is rigorously researched, tested and proven to help children learn.