As former journalists and lifelong civic leaders, we’ve spent our careers dedicated to transparency, truth-telling and the frequent good. We’ve seen firsthand how media can uplift communities — or go away them behind. That’s why we serve on the board of Cascade PBS, whose mission is to tell and encourage our neighborhood to make the world a greater place.
Now, public media is underneath risk — once more. President Donald Trump’s request to cancel all funding for public broadcasting is working its means by way of Congress and is alarmingly near approval. We’ve got been right here earlier than, most famously in 1969 when Fred Rogers delivered his stirring, heartfelt testimony to Congress that cemented assist for continued funding on the spot. This time is completely different; we’re in complicated and unprecedented occasions, and the chance to public media has by no means been extra severe.
Public media is extra vital now than ever. In a world that usually prioritizes revenue over public service, Cascade PBS stands as a beacon of community-focused journalism, schooling and provoking packages. We’ve served the Pacific Northwest for 70 years and have grow to be an integral a part of this neighborhood.
When a lot of immediately’s media weight loss plan peddles outrage and rewards shouting over dialogue, worry over braveness, and distortion over fact, Cascade PBS brings gentle, not warmth. We’re a refuge for our kids and our personal want for civility. Greater than 130,000 of our neighbors have grow to be loyal members, and we attain practically 2 million viewers, readers and listeners each month. Most of us, our kids, and now our grandchildren, grew up on PBS. We realized to depend and skim, and tips on how to share and imagine in ourselves. We realized about kindness and empathy.
Cascade PBS is greater than only a tv station; we’re a neighborhood hub of civic engagement and knowledgeable discourse, by way of our annual Concepts Pageant, unbiased journalism and native unique sequence. And naturally, we’re the house for treasured packages like “PBS Information Hour,” “All Creatures Nice and Small,” “Discovering Your Roots,” “NOVA,” “Nature,” “American Masters” and the celebrated documentaries of Ken Burns.
This 12 months, the Company for Public Broadcasting acquired $535 million to assist native stations by way of annual neighborhood service grants. PBS reaches 89% of lower-income households, providing trusted curriculum-based instructional programming that industrial networks gained’t contact. And in an emergency — from hurricanes to wildfires to well being crises — it’s public broadcasting that’s the spine of the Emergency Alert System, collaborating with native and nationwide authorities to make sure the speedy and dependable supply of lifesaving data to the general public. And all this prices simply $1.60 per 12 months per particular person.
Federal assist acts as a pressure multiplier — for each greenback Congress allocates to public media, we generate about eight extra in non-public and philanthropic assist. That form of leverage is uncommon for any federal program, and it’s a part of what makes public broadcasting so resilient and responsive. However federal assist issues most in small and rural communities, the place company and philanthropic assist will be tougher to come back by. Authorities funding retains these stations on the air.
In most locations across the nation, public broadcasting is the final domestically owned, operated and ruled media group serving their neighborhood. The federal government can — and may — proceed to play a significant function in sustaining a media ecosystem that serves all Individuals.
Public media just isn’t good, however it’s irreplaceable. At a time of rampant disinformation, misinformation, and deepfake and AI generated content material, Individuals are determined for establishments they will belief.
Fred Rogers knew what it meant to be a great neighbor, and Cascade PBS honors that duty every single day. We hope that you’ll contact your members of Congress and urge them to vote “no” on the president’s request to eradicate funding.
