A statement from KTOO President and General Manager, Justin Shoman
Juneau, Alaska – July 18th: The White House’s rescission request was approved by Congress late last night. KTOO would like to thank our community for their continuous outreach to our lawmakers in Washington. Tens of thousands of Alaskans contacted their congressional representatives in Washington. And while we made our voices heard, not everyone chose to listen.
Federal funding is essential for local public television and radio stations’ ability to provide all Americans in communities across the country with vital services like public safety, education and community connections, everywhere, every day, free of charge.
This destructive rescission of CPB funding – the substantial majority of which goes to local stations per statutory formula – will result in sweeping cuts to local services, news, direct access to state government on Gavel Alaska, and local music programs.
The projected federal grant for KTOO in fiscal year 2026 was nearly $1.2 million, representing 34% of our operating revenue for a business year that began 18 days ago.
We now have incredibly challenging decisions to make in the weeks ahead. We will navigate these waters with a focus on maintaining key services and appropriately scaling them to ensure financial sustainability. All decisions will be made with an eye toward rebuilding our capacity for community service in the future.
Journalism in America is under threat. Paywalls are rising and local newsrooms are shuttering. All too often, misinformation is filling the void. With federal funding for public media eliminated, this threat has tipped into a crisis, especially in Alaska.
And this is not just an assault on the free-press, it’s an assault on public safety especially in rural areas of Alaska.
We will fight to restore federal funding. In the meantime, donating to KTOO Public Media is more important than it has ever been. Every dollar helps us to offset this massive attack on our ability to serve the community.
This is a critical moment for our democracy. Local information, storytelling, and fact-based news are the foundation of cultural understanding and underpin a belief system that prioritizes people over politics to advance a democratic republic.
