Trump's new budget plan could affect local station KRCU

KRCU, Cape Girardeau’s local National Public Radio station, may face hits to its funding if budget cuts proposed by the state and the federal government are passed.

Located in the Serena Building at Southeast Missouri State University’s main campus, KRCU receives funding from the university, federal government, state government and public donations.

Last week, President Donald Trump released his proposed budget, which allows for cuts to a number of government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Labor. The plan also proposes to “eliminate or zero out” other programs, including the National Endowment to the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the agency that issues grants to organizations like NPR and the Public Broadcasting Station.

The CPB receives approximately $149 million per year from the federal government, 95 percent of which goes to nearly 1,500 locally owned stations around the country, many of which are in rural areas where little other broadcast options are available.

Of the 575 stations receiving grants from the CPB, 162 of them are classified as rural radio stations like KRCU. These stations are made available in areas where other local media is scarce or nonexistent.

“A lot of communities in Southeast Missouri may not have access to broadband or whatever,” Dan Woods, general manager of KRCU, said. “With KRCU, we can provide them with programming over the radio. We can provide them with international news, local news, world news, just over the air to reach those rural communities that may not be able to have access to it.”

KRCU provides national and local programs to give listeners what Woods calls “an expanded view of the world.”

“We share differing ideas, differing perspectives about things and bring the world to Southeast Missouri,” Woods said.

KRCU uses syndicated programs from NPR that Woods said cost the station more than $100,000 every year, but the station also provides a number of local programs, including a monthly program called “Vargas Speaks,” in which Southeast’s president Dr. Carlos Vargas discusses the institution and higher education. Besides news, KRCU also provides listeners with music and public service announcements. Programs are available on-air or online at KRCU.org.

Woods said if grants to KRCU are decreased or lost completely, certain programs may have to be cut back and filled with less expensive programming.

Currently, KRCU receives approximately 22 percent of its budget from CPB community service grants. The grants are based on fundraising and can increase depending on the efficiency of a station’s fundraising techniques, as well as funding from the Missouri Endowment for the Arts and fundraising.

Approximately 45 percent of KRCU’s funding comes from Southeast’s Office of University Advancement. Bill Holland, the vice president of University Advancement and Director of the University Foundation, said the foundation is still expecting to collaborate with KRCU in Fiscal Year 2018 as it has in years past.

“Right now, from what we know, we anticipate a very active and exciting year next year,” Holland said.

Holland added the foundation will adjust its funding for KRCU if the federal budget cuts are passed. At this time, budget cuts by the federal and state governments are still in the works and have not been approved.

Woods said he’s hoping bipartisan support in Congress will prevent cuts to CPB.

“There’s very broad bipartisan support from CPB in Congress,” Woods said. “The feeling is even though the president has proposed to eliminate funding for CPB, we’re fairly hopeful and fairly confident that the funding will remain at least for this coming year.”

Woods hope is supported by past blocks by Congress to eliminate or cut funding to the CPB. Cuts to the CPB have been proposed in the past by presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, but all were rejected by Congress.

Despite funding from a number of sources, KRCU depends on donations from local listeners. Those wanting to donate can do so at KRCU.org.