JEFFERSON CITY — Over $1 billion in federal cuts to public broadcasting nationwide are having an impact in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.
Congress gave final approval to a plan Thursday that will rescind $1.1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. About two-thirds of that flows to over 1,500 local stations, to the Associated Press.
For ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio, the move amounts to an annual reduction of $575,000, or 6.2% of its annual revenue, the station said in a news release on Friday.
For the TV station KETC (Channel 9), known as Nine PBS, the vote means a loss of $1.8 million, or 13% of the television station’s current budget, Nine PBS president and CEO Amy Shaw said in an to supporters.
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“That loss will be felt, so your financial support is critical,†she said.
In an interview later on Friday, Shaw said Nine PBS was in a stable financial position and that “we do not anticipate staff reductions at this time.â€
Madalyn Painter, spokesperson for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio, also said that no layoffs were planned.
There were also no immediate programming changes on either station due to the cuts, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign into law.
Some expenses for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio may rise because of less resource-pooling among NPR stations, the station’s release said.
It said the station would attempt to make up the funding through new or increased monthly donations, “requiring the support of many more community members to join†in addition to the station’s current roster of 26,000+ donors.
Jess Luther, interim general manager for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio, in the news release called the vote “a targeted attempt to weaken one of the most trusted civic institutions in America.â€
The station’s news release said public media has long enjoyed bipartisan support “because it provides essential, nonpartisan services to millions, especially in rural and underserved areas where alternatives are few.â€
But Republicans have . And in pulling funding from the stations, they said taxpayer dollars shouldn’t flow to outlets that have such biases.
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, who has appeared on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio multiple times, episode of the “Politically Speaking†podcast, spoke out in favor of the cuts on the Senate floor.
“While the actual American people are working long hours to afford groceries and gas, their government has been writing checks to left-wing propaganda outlets,†he said.
As evidence of bias, Schmitt’s office pointed to on Valentine’s Day 2024, on the meanings of “woke†and “white privilege,†and more.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio includes KWMU (90.7 FM) in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, KMST (88.5 FM) in Rolla and WQUB (90.3 MF) in Quincy. The organization also runs jazz and classical music streams online.
For fiscal 2024, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio reported an operating loss of $1 million — with total operating revenues of $8.6 million and total operating expenses of $9.7 million.
Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting made up about 6% of revenue. Individual and foundation support, and corporate sponsorships, made up 90% of operating revenue.
Individual and foundation support remained relatively consistent between fiscal years 2022 and 2024, at over $5.4 million each year.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Public Radio still posted losses for all three fiscal years.
Nine PBS reported a $700,998 loss in fiscal 2024.
The station brought in $7.7 million in individual contributions and $2.25 million in government support.
In all, it reported $13.8 million in revenue compared to $14.5 million in expenses.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture tens of thousands of images every year. See some of their best work that was either taken in June 2025 in this video. Edited by Jenna Jones.
