Chicago’s public broadcasting stations are beloved stalwarts. Our PBS station WTTW was once the home of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. WBEZ, our NPR station, is the birthplace of “This American Life.” But how will they fare with the federal defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The nonprofit CPB was formed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting across the United States. Its budget is made up almost entirely of an annual appropriation from Congress. Rather, it was.
After more than $1 billion in funding cuts to CPB under President Donald Trump, the group said this month it will wind down operations. However, not all WTTW and WBEZ funding comes from CPB.
The Funding Breakdown
In 2021, Illinois’ public television stations received about $7.4 million from CPB, with WTTW getting the most in grants — about $3.3 million. That represents 10% of WTTW’s overall budget.
Meanwhile, Illinois’ public radio stations received about $3.3 million from CPB. Of that, $1.5 million went to WBEZ. Though that’s the highest state allotment, it makes up just 6% of WBEZ’s total budget.
The Sun-Times, WBEZ’s sister outlet, receives no federal money; although strain on parent organization Chicago Public Media could lead to spillover challenges. (The Sun-Times became part of Chicago Public Media in 2022, shifting to a nonprofit, paywall-free model.)
What Next?
How the losses will affect the stations specifically is yet to be determined, but Josh Shepperd, a WBEZ alum and author of “Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting,” calls the situation “dire.” Speaking to the Tribune, he predicted inevitable layoffs, impeded educational outreach, and potential changes in the kinds of content produced.
“If the political winds change again, they could rebuild the CPB. But in the interim, it’ll be very bad,” Shepperd said.
Still, with broad audience support, WTTW and WBEZ are in a better position than others. Both already had donations spike following the CPB shutdown. It's rural stations without the same capacity to fundraise that will be harder hit long-term.
“This is an ideological project to remove local news access from rural communities,” Shepperd said.
