PBS CEO talks about bill that cuts funding to PBS and impacts to Alaska.

Update-Senate late last night voted to approve the Rescissions bill that cuts federal funding for Public media outlets.

In Alaska, the Public Broadcast Service (PBS) is often the only connection to vital information and updates to news and events occurring around the state.

There was no better example of the need for PBS than the tsunami warnings that were issued following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck on July 16 just south of Sand Point, Alaska. Local radio stations KMXT in Kodiak, KUCB in Unalaska, and KSDP in Sand Point was critical in giving Alaskans real-time updates and keeping residents and tourists safe.

The services that PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) provides are at risk for losing in funding as the Senate voted to approve a sweeping rescissions package that cuts $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), even though funds were approved by Congress earlier this year and that would fund CPB for the next two fiscal years.

Ahead of a procedural vote to move the bill forward, PBS Chief Executive Officer Paula Kerger said in a phone interview that many people have the wrong idea about PBS, that many believe it is a network like CBS.

“We’re not like that at all,” Kerger said. “We are an organization that was formed by our stations. We help them do they couldn’t do for themselves and our programming.”

She explained that most of the programming comes to PBS from different stations around the country.

“The thing I think is always the most extraordinary about public broadcasting is the amount of content that comes to us from different parts of the country.” She cites the creation of “Molly of Denali,” an animated series that was the first American nationally distributed children's show to feature an Alaska Native as the lead character, as an example of the partnership between PBS and Alaska Public Media.

“It gave us an opportunity to really talk about a part of the country and different cultures that people wouldn’t always have the opportunity to experience.”

“I think some of our best work is when we’re able to bring forward stories that aren’t as well-known outside of a region, and it gives an opportunity for some of our smallest stations to experience storytelling, music, and different places, understanding different aspects of life and people. PBS is so well-suited to do that because we live in communities across the country. We can tap into local storytellers and local stories that wouldn’t necessarily be as evident if all the work emanated from New York. That’s why this fight is so important,” said Kerger.

Alaska Public Media is the sole PBS station for Alaska, and operates the Statewide News, a network of more than 25 radio stations in Alaska that share news and other audio content statewide; as well as Alaska's collection of television networks, the Alaska Rural Communications Service, which is a joint venture of Alaska Public Media and Alaska's public broadcasters.

The stations have approximately 54,000 TV viewers nightly and 37,000 radio listeners weekly in South-central Alaska region. Kerger said that in the case of Alaska, an estimated 40% of the budget for Alaska Public Media comes from the federal government. Locally in the Mat-Su Borough, 60% of Talkeetna radio station KTNA’s budget comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

On their website, KTNA stated that losing CPB funding would have devastating impacts. “Small, rural stations like ours would suffer the most from the loss of the CPB. Inflexible costs like utilities and our mortgage mean that cuts would most likely have to come from programming and payroll. If funding were to disappear for an extended period of time, the very survival of the station would be at risk,” the website stated.

The bill was approved by the Senate after a “vote-a-rama” session that ran late into the evening on July 16. Senator Lisa Murkowski, was one of two republicans to vote against party lines in to voting to not approve the bill. Senator Susan Collins of Maine was the other senator who joined with all Democrats and independents against it.

On the Senate floor July 15, Senator Murkowski said that public broadcasting is vital, particularly for rural areas of the state.

“It's not just your news,” she said while speaking on the Senate floor ahead of the procedural vote, ironically pointing out the need for PBS and NPR in rural areas such as Alaska. “It's your tsunami alerts. It is your landslide alert. It is your volcano alert. It is the weather to let you know it's safe to go out and get on the fishing grounds. It's your educational programming. I am going to continue to be an advocate for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”

Meanwhile, Senator Dan Sullivan voted to approve the bill.

“It’s unbelievably important that Senators recognize that this is really what we’re talking about. We’re not talking about the news networks. We’re talking about a resource for communities,” said Kerger.

She said that if the bill passes, some hard decisions lie ahead about what PBS as a whole can do, and that for stations like Alaska Public Media, there will be challenges and the bill could “push them over.”

Alaska Representative Nick Begich voted in favor of the bill when it was in the House, later releasing a statement stating at the time that read in part:

“This package also reduces involuntary taxpayer funding for certain state-sponsored media outlets like NPR and PBS. While rural communities have in the past been indirectly supported through state-sponsored media, we must acknowledge how far we have come in terms of connectivity since the birth of radio more than 120 years ago. Alaskan residents have embraced today’s pervasive cellular, satellite, and wireline technologies, connecting rural communities to critical information and resources in rich and compelling ways.”

Senator Murkowski took to social media on July 16 to point out the continued need for public media as Alaskans dealt with the earthquake and tsunami warnings while the Senate debated the bill.

“A few hours ago, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the Alaska Peninsula, just south of Sand Point. That’s the real world. But here in the U.S. Senate, we are currently debating a rescissions package that would severely cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, drastically affecting Alaska’s 27 public media stations and many more across the nation,” she wrote.

“In Alaska, these are simply organizations dedicated to their communities. Their response to today’s earthquake is a perfect example of the incredible public service these stations provide. They deliver local news, weather updates, and, yes, emergency alerts that save human lives.”

She thanked the local PBS stations for their updates as people evacuated to higher ground until the warnings were later canceled. “Today of all days, we should vote down these misguided cuts to public broadcasting.”

The bill heads back to the House for final approval following Senate changes.