PITTSBURGH — The House voted to cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for NPR and PBS. Here in Pittsburgh, radio stations WYEP and WESA and television station WQED will be impacted.
Jason Jedlinski is President & CEO of WQED. He said, “There’s been many instances over the years of cause to defund the corporations for public broadcasting, this is obviously the first time it’s happened.”
WQED’s President is reacting after the House voted early Friday morning to approve President Donald Trump’s proposal to cut $1.1 billion from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.
Representatives Kelly and Reschenthaler voted for the cuts while Representatives Lee and Deluzio voted against them.
In the Senate, Dave McCormick vote for the cuts and John Fetterman voted against them.
Jedlinski said, “I think it’s a mistake and I think it’s very short-sighted. I see it as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity for us to go back to our roots.”
16 years before PBS and federal funding started, it was the community that created the first community-owned TV station in America when school children went door to door collecting donations in tin cans. He explained, “2 dollar donations from 60-thousand households is what allowed WQED to open its doors.”
In Pittsburgh, the cuts will take away 1.8 million dollars from WQED which eliminates 11 percent of its government grant funding. WQED says the biggest impact viewers will initially see will likely be with national programming. Shows like Nova, Masterpiece and Frontline may no longer produce new episodes. But Jedlinski says he’s confident and optimistic that WQED isn’t going anywhere.
“Nothing about this vote stops the possibility of funding being restored. The corporation for public broadcasting is a private entity; Congress nor the White House have any authority to abolish a private organization,” Jedlinski said.
Terry O’Reilly, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, said:
“As for us, we’re committed to the work we do every day on WESA and WYEP, and are thrilled with the messages and calls of support we’ve been receiving since very early this morning from local listeners who rely on us for independent news and music programming. It’s going to be a challenge to replace the roughly $1.5 million that was approved by Congress but subsequently clawed back by the White House…but our commitment to service for Pittsburgh and all of Western PA is unchanged.”
The measure now goes to President Trump, where he is expected to sign it into law.
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