Help Protect Public Media at KASU

Federal funding for KASU is under threat — and so are the services you rely on.

Congress is considering historic measures that would eliminate future funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and block money already approved for this year — including support that helps power KASU.

This is more than a budget cut. It’s a disruption to the essential services we provide in news, public safety, community programming, and regional connection.

🧭 What’s Really at Stake

KASU is your source for trusted information — local news, in-depth national coverage from NPR, and emergency updates when they matter most. These proposed funding cuts would:

• Sever our ability to air NPR national and international news, including:

  • Morning Edition
  • All Things Considered
  • 1A
  • Fresh Air
  • Here & Now
  • It’s Been a Minute/Wildcard
• Disrupt the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), which we depend on to receive and distribute programming
• Jeopardize our emergency alert reliability, especially in rapidly developing national events
• End our access to NPR’s podcast hosting, removing listener-favorite shows and on-demand local content

• Impact local music and cultural programming, including the rights to broadcast certain performances and music, impacting local* and national programs such as:

  • Arkansas Roots*
  • Performance Today
  • Jazz Tonight*
  • Music and the Spoken Word
  • Something Blue*
  • 6 Degrees of the Delta*
• Reduce automated national and local news updates (i.e. KASU News On-Demand, The Arkansas Newswrap) on our website, mobile app, and smart speakers
• Prevent cost-effective partnerships with other public media stations across the country

📡 Why CPB and NPR Are Irreplaceable

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting isn’t just a funding source. It’s the infrastructure that allows public stations like KASU to:

• Stay on the air
• Access national and global coverage
• Serve rural communities who don’t have alternative sources for trusted, non-commercial news

There is no other service with the reach, scale, and journalistic integrity of NPR. If we lose access, there is no clear replacement.

🤔 “Why not just raise the money?”

We hear this often. KASU already raises a significant portion of our budget through listener support, local underwriting, and university partnership. But CPB support fills critical gaps — and we’ve warned for years during pledge drives that programming cuts were possible if funding fell short.

Even if national programming is reduced, we’d still need to invest in staffing, infrastructure, licensing, and technical support to grow local content. And that’s a cost we cannot shoulder overnight — especially under current university constraints.

This effort isn’t just about money. It’s about preserving trusted service.

💬 Your Support Makes the Difference

Here’s how you can help:

🚨 What We’re Watching Closely

We’re actively reviewing how these proposed cuts could affect:

• Emergency alert reliability, especially if disruptions extend to national warning systems
• Access to breaking news from around the world — coverage that currently arrives instantly through NPR’s global infrastructure
• Digital services like podcasting and streaming, which are hosted through NPR and generate audience revenue
• Long-term sustainability of our rural service model, which relies heavily on the collaborative ecosystem CPB enables

The full impact is still unclear — and that’s part of the concern.

🙏 Thank You for Standing With KASU

Public media is your media. You’ve trusted KASU for more than 50 years to inform, engage, and uplift Northeast Arkansas.

Now, we’re asking for your support to protect the future of this station — and the vital services it provides.

📍 Return to KASU.org