Why Local Public Media - Local News Catalyst

If local news matters to you, then local public and community media organizations should too.

A Crisis in Local News

Local news is in crisis. Over 3,000 local newspapers have closed in the past 20 years, leaving 70 million people in “news deserts” with little to no coverage. As a result, communities lose trusted information, civic engagement drops, and accountability suffers.

A Trusted, Scalable Solution

Public media offers a powerful and growing solution to the local news crisis. With public and private support, 300 local newsrooms, and over 4,000 dedicated journalists, local public media organizations reach and serve millions of people nationwide.

Closing the Gaps

While local public media organizations have made important strides in recent years, major challenges persist—especially in communities with fewer resources to support local journalism. Local News Catalyst was founded to help close these gaps and ensure strong local news in every community.

A Looming Threat

Strengthening local news in every community has long been a challenge—but now, with the looming loss of federal funding, public media is under even great threat.

Public Media Under Threat

The White House has proposed eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a vital lifeline for local public media organizations. Without it, many will be forced to cut services—or shut down completely—deepening the crisis in local news.

The High Cost of Cutting Public Media

Eliminating federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would severely weaken public media—especially local stations that depend on it to survive. Nationally, trusted programs, including NPR, PBS, and others, would become harder to access. Locally, small and rural stations could be forced to slash services, lay off staff, or shut down entirely. The result? Fewer communities with reliable local news, cultural programming, and educational resources—often in areas that need them most.

What cuts have been proposed?

The White House has asked Congress to rescind over $1 billion in previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, cutting two full years of support (FY2026 and FY2027). CPB is the primary federal funding source for public media nationwide.

These proposed cuts come amid additional threats, including FCC investigations and delayed FEMA funding for critical emergency alerting equipment upgrades—jeopardizing the essential services public media provides to communities across the country.

What's CPB & where does the money go?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. CPB is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public media and the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services.

CPB’s current annual funding is $535M (distributed according to a formula):

$350M (65%) direct support to local stations ($267M for TV stations, $83M for radio stations)
$126M (24%) for programming ($90M for TV, $36M for radio)
$32M (6%) system support including research, music rights, training, and other national initiatives
$27M (5%) for CPB overhead

In addition, CPB receives $60M annually for interconnection, public media’s distribution network. This system connects local stations with one another and with program distributors.

The entire $595 million annual appropriation would disappear should Congress act on the White House’s recision package.

What impact will federal cuts have?

The impact will be severe and result in service reductions at the national level and at local public media organizations everywhere. However, the impact will be most severe and often existential for smaller public media organizations that heavily rely on federal support to provide service to their communities. The most impacted will be:

Rural areas – Rural communities often lack individual, institutional, and business wealth that can help support local media. Access to broadband and cellphone coverage can also be challenging. Federal funding enables rural public media organizations to offer essential news, emergency alerts, educational programming, and cultural content, often serving as the only local media source.
Tribal areas – The situation is similar in tribal communities. Native public and community media organizations uniquely meet local needs by preserving culture, sharing local news, supporting language revitalization, and giving Indigenous voices a platform.
HBCUs – Historically Black Colleges and University stations are also at great risk. These organizations provide vital platforms for student training, amplify Black voices and culture, share community-focused news, and promote music and perspectives often underrepresented in mainstream media.

Can you help to quantify the impact?

On average, local public radio stations receive approximately 8% of their revenue from federal sources and local TV stations receive approximately 15%.

However, the average numbers are very misleading as the level of federal funding can vary widely by organization size and other factors. For example:

For radio, the smallest 1/3 of stations receive 30% of their revenue from federal sources on average (compared with just 6% for the largest 1/3 of stations)
For TV, the smallest 1/3 of stations also receive 30% from federal sources on average (compared with 13% for the largest 1/3)

For some individual organizations, the level of federal support is even higher, and these organizations face an extremely uncertain future. Many of these organizations are also located in news deserts.

Public radio signals most at-risk (with news deserts in black)

Public television signals most at-risk

What about local news? Public safety?

The most at-risk public media organizations are often the only source of local media in their communities and serve counties that are considered news deserts by Medill’s State of Local News report.

The requested cuts don’t just threaten local public media’s ability to provide local news and information, they also threaten public safety. Local public media is not only an essential voice during disasters; it is also a backbone of the nation’s emergency alerting system. The disappearance of local public media organizations is both a local news crisis and a public safety crisis.

What can I do?

Support Local Stations
Donate directly to local public media stations—especially smaller ones in rural areas or those serving historically underfunded communities, such as HBCU and Native public media organizations. These stations often lack the local resources larger outlets can rely on.

Invest in Future Sustainability
Endow positions focused on fundraising and local news to ensure these essential roles are secure and not vulnerable to shifting national priorities.

Be a Voice for Change
Encourage others to support local public media. Advocate within your networks and let your elected officials know that public media matters.

Strengthen What Matters Most
Help build capacity in organizations that serve and support the local organizations and communities most in need of reliable, local news.

Need Guidance?
Contact us—we’re happy to help you target your support where it can have the greatest impact.

Tell me again why public media is important

It’s Completely Free
Always available over broadcast and never behind a paywall on any platform.

Community Connection
Local public media organizations are deeply embedded in their communities, often the only locally operated media in the area. They don’t just report on local events—they report with and for the people who live there, lifting up underrepresented voices and telling stories that matter to the community.

Emergency and Public Safety Information
During natural disasters, power outages, or public health emergencies, public radio becomes a lifeline, broadcasting critical updates, safety alerts, and recovery information quickly and reliably and forming the backbone of the nation’s emergency alerting system.

Trusted, In-Depth Coverage
Local public media organizations provide thoughtful, fact-based news and information. In an era of misinformation and sensationalized news, local public media is a trustworthy source that prioritizes context, community, and balance.

Local Focus
National media often overlooks local issues—things like city council decisions, school board meetings, infrastructure projects, or local elections. Local public media organizations fill that gap, covering the stories that directly affect listeners’ daily lives.

Civic Engagement and Democracy
By covering local politics and government affairs, public media encourages informed civic participation. It helps people understand what’s happening in their town halls, who their representatives are, and how policies are being shaped.

Cultural and Educational Programming
In addition to news, local public media offers arts, music, history, and educational content that reflects the community’s identity and enriches daily life. It fosters cultural awareness and appreciation.

Nonprofit, Community-Supported Model
Because it isn’t driven by ratings or ad revenue, public media can focus on public service journalism rather than clickbait or entertainment value. Local communities support it because they value the integrity and relevance of the content.