Quad Cities NPR and PBS Stations Fight Funding Cuts
The Quad Cities’ public TV and public radio stations are joining the chorus of public media nationwide protesting planned cuts to federal funding.
The White House has submitted a formal request to Congress to eliminate $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports more than 1,500 public media stations across the country. This includes the local Quad-City station, WQPT PBS.
If Congress approves the rescission package, it would eliminate the federal investment that powers the essential services you count on WQPT PBS to provide every day, including programming and outreach that educate, inform, and connect communities across our region, according to a Thursday release from WQPT, which is based at Western Illinois University in Moline.
“Public broadcasting enhances our university mission and the communities we serve,” WIU President Kristi Mindrup said in the release. “We stand in strong support of WQPT and urge Congress to reject rescission of federal funding for public broadcasting.”
The entrance to WQPT’s offices at WIU’s Building C, 3300 River Drive, Moline.
In response to this extraordinary moment, Dawn Schmitt, WQPT General Manager, issued the following statement:
“Although federal funding cuts are not yet approved by Congress, the request from the Administration signals a significant escalation in efforts to defund public media. This is a credible threat to our work, jeopardizing essential services that inform and unite Americans. For decades, stations like WQPT have been trusted sources of reporting, civil discourse, and lifelong learning.
“In the Quad-City region, public media plays a vital role in daily life,” Schmitt said. “Our programming supports classrooms, brings trusted information into your home, and offers a place where local voices and stories can be heard. In light of this news, WQPT is joining an emergency campaign to help safeguard the services our local community depends on. We’re still here, still broadcasting, and more dedicated than ever to our mission of public service. But we truly need community support.”
On May 1, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order to prevent NPR and PBS from receiving Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding — directly or through federal funds used for membership dues.
CPB has responded that it is “not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private, nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.”
The Executive Order, combined with other actions, signals a broader effort to dismantle public media by eliminating federal funding for public media stations and the system at large. Blocking NPR and PBS from receiving CPB funds would undermine national services local stations depend on — such as emergency alert systems, research-backed educational resources for families, and content distribution infrastructure. It would also interfere with stations’ autonomy to choose programming and services their communities value and rely on, according to the website protectmypublicmedia.org.
Lora Adams, left, and Dawn Schmitt at WQPT’s front desk.
CPB president and CEO Patricia Harrison said on June 3:
“Federal funding for the public broadcasting system is irreplaceable. Public media serves all – families and individuals, in rural and urban communities – free of charge and commercial free. American taxpayers rely upon and trust public media for high quality educational content, information, and life-saving alerts.
“CPB is firmly committed to ensuring that funding for public media provides local communities with accurate, unbiased and nonpartisan news and information, and we take seriously concerns about bias that have been raised. The path to better public media is achievable only if funding is maintained. Otherwise, a vital lifeline that operates reliable emergency communications, supports early learning, and keeps local communities connected and informed will be cut off with regrettable and lasting consequences.”
WQPT’s mission remains unwavering: to inform, engage, and serve every member of our community. For more information, it recommended visiting protectmypublicmedia.org and to contact your legislators in support of WQPT, your local PBS station.
In an early Thursday morning email, WVIK Quad Cities NPR general manager Jared Johnson wrote that public media “is facing the greatest threat in its history — a challenge that could dramatically impact WVIK and the services you rely on every day.
WQPT PBS helps inspire children everywhere and sparks their imagination.
For 45 years, WVIK (based at Augustana College, Rock Island) has served the over half a million people in the QC, Dubuque and surrounding regions, offering community-based programming and services that can’t be found elsewhere, including:
- Local news and information from people who know and live in our bi-state community.
- Captivating local cultural programming like Saturday Morning Live and Heartland Politics.
- Classical music, jazz, and more hosted by beloved hosts like Mindy Heusel, Marc Zyla, Tom Tallman, Charlie McMullen, and Ben Schwind.
- The rebroadcast of local concerts from the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, NOVA Singers, and more.
- The APRIS reading service for the visually impaired and all those unable to read local newspapers and magazines on their own.
- Local podcasts including Good Morning from WVIK, LOVE Girls: The Podcast (with Her Voice Media), A Real Piece of Work (with Junior Achievement of the Heartland), Talking Art (with Quad City Arts), Riverway Stories (with River Action), Footlights, and What’s Happenin’ QC.
- Emergency alerts and warnings delivered to you in moments of disaster.
All of these essential services are being put at risk, Johnson said.
“At WVIK, we believe in the power of public media to unite communities, stimulate local economies, celebrate our local history and culture, and deliver essential information when you need it most,” his email said.
“We know you value this, too, and we want to continue providing the best of public media to you,” Johnson wrote. “It’s up to all of us to safeguard WVIK for today, tomorrow, and generations to come.”
Public television is often referred to as one of the most trusted brands in America.
