photo by: Kansas Public Radio

A Kansas Public Radio studio still.

After President Donald Trump directed federal funding cuts to more than 1,000 public media outlets nationwide, Kansas Public Radio is sounding the alarm.

On Thursday evening, Trump signed an executive order aiming to eliminate federal funding for PBS and NPR, accusing the networks of biased reporting and spreading “left-wing propaganda.” The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, and other federal agencies to stop providing financial support to both organizations.

“Neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens,” the order said. “The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding.”

In response, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said it was a “blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night,” as NPR reported.

Kansas Public Radio, or KPR, is a local NPR network with 91.5 FM based at the University of Kansas. KPR said in a statement that if Trump’s cuts are supported, the loss of previously approved funding from Congress over the next two years could result in a permanent loss of funding.

“The White House’s attempt to cut federal funding for public media will have an impact on Kansas Public Radio and a collaborative system that works together to serve communities across the United States. Millions rely on public media not only for news, but for music, culture, and connection,” Feloniz Lovato-Winston, director of Kansas Public Radio, said in a news release on Friday.

KPR receives about 10% – amounting to about $240,000 – of its annual budget from the CPB, but the size of that funding varies each year, Lovato-Winston told the Journal-World.

While the proposed funding cuts wouldn’t immediately disrupt programming from KPR or NPR, both organizations warn that the long-term effects could be significant — threatening support for public media’s educational, cultural and local content, including news, the arts, storytelling, and the diverse voices KPR highlights across Kansas.

Meanwhile, about 84% of KPR’s annual budget is funded by listeners and local businesses. Their support keeps public radio deeply connected to the community and strengthens its role as a vital source of connection, the a statement from KPR said. While no cuts have been implemented, Lovato-Winston said KPR is still hopeful.

“The cuts haven’t gone through and we’re hopeful with over 80,000 weekly listeners that we can make up for it in listener support, if that were to happen,” Lovato-Winston said.

The emergency fundraising campaign KPR announced on Friday is to protect the outlet’s space and ensure it remains free to all of their listeners and readers, the release said.

Federal funding for public broadcasting costs each taxpayer approximately $1.60 per year, Lovato-Winston said. Federal funding also ensures that stations like KPR are held accountable to uphold the highest ethical standards, Lovato-Winston said.

“One thing that I think is important is we are held accountable to provide that factual information because we received that small piece of federal funding,” Lovato-Winston told the Journal-World. “That holds us very accountable to provide factual news to be unbiased, and I think it’s so important for people to have that resource and for it to be free to them.”

She said federal spending is a critical part of running the station, and it helps public media provide an essential service to everyone, regardless of their ability to support their local public radio or TV station.

“It’s the news that we provide, but it’s also emergency-alerting services, weather, local events and community connections,” Lovato-Winston said. “For Kansas Public Radio, we offer a lot of locally hosted music that reflects our region and the federal funding is a critical part of that.”

“We’re also a part of a broader network that works to provide the services nationwide,” Lovato-Winston said, referring to NPR. “So it would be tough to rebuild that network if we had to.”

According to The Associated Press, public broadcasters receive approximately $500 million each year from the CPB and have been anticipating significant funding reductions since Trump’s election, amid longstanding criticism from Republican lawmakers.

NPR reported that about 1% of its funding directly comes from federal sources and a slightly greater amount indirectly. The 246 member institutions that operate over 1,000 stations receive on average 8% to 10% of their funds from the CPB. Other nearby outlets – such as KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR station, and Kansas City PBS – also expressed concerns on what impacts the executive order could have, but KCUR General Manager Sarah Morris said it’s clear that the threat to public media remains.

“As we have said and will continue to say: no matter what happens in D.C., KCUR is here for the Kansas City region, thanks to strong support from our community,” Morris said in a statement on Friday.

These moves targeting public media entities like PBS and NPR come amid broader efforts by the administration to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media — which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

These outlets were established to promote independent journalism in countries with limited press freedom. However, federal courts have pushed back on some of the administration’s actions, ruling in certain cases that it may have exceeded its authority by withholding funds that had been approved by Congress.

Lovato-Winston said people can reach out to their lawmakers and express their support for their public media organization by visiting protectmypublicmedia.org, which provides resources that help craft phone calls and emails to Congress.