This has been a busy week here at WHQR. We’ve got a crew replacing our aging HVAC system, meaning we’re running without air conditioning, so if you hear the sound of fans going in the background, you’ll know why.
We announced this week that Cinematique is moving from Thalian Hall to Jengo’s Playhouse, which prompted congratulations and questions from Cinematique fans. We’ve enjoyed partnerships with both Cuculorous and Thalian Hall for many many years, and are excited about the partnership with Cuculorous and move to Jengo’s Playhouse, which will give us added flexibility for more show dates maybe even weekends.
But the big news this week that has generated the most questions from our listeners is the request from the White House to Congress to rescind the two year advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, also known as CPB, that Congress approved last March. If the funding is rescinded, WHQR will lose about 8.5% of our annual budget, $174,000 a year starting July 1,. As with your household budget, a loss of 8.5% will require changes in what we do and how we do it.
There are stations in the country, especially in rural areas, where loss of federal funding will mean the end of operations. There are also common infrastructure elements all NPR stations use, such as satellite delivery of programming, the cost of which individual stations will have to absorb. Fewer stations in the system means costs for infrastructure and programming go up for everyone, so the full effect on individual stations is cascading and difficult to estimate at this point.
CPB’s mission was and remains to “ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services.” The House has 45 days to consider the rescission request from the White House. House leadership has stated that they want to handle the request expeditiously. If it passes the House vote, it will be sent to the Senate.. We have been asking those of you who value public media to let our representatives in Congress know how you feel about the loss of federal funding. Public response has forestalled such efforts at defunding in the past. We’re urging our listeners to go to whqr.org/funding to find out how to contact your representatives. That’s whqr.org/funding
We got a very nice letter from supporters in Leland that they sent to their Congressman and Senators. The letter ends by saying “Since a well-informed citizenry is essential to our national strength, intellectual vitality and economic growth in an ever-increasing competitive world, North Carolina and the entire country needs to retain the vital programming provided by both PBS and NPR. We urge you to support on-going federal funding for these valuable entities.” I could not agree more. If you agree, please let your representatives know.
We also love to hear from you. Please send us your questions, comments and criticisms. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. You can email us at feedback@whqr.org. Thanks for your feedback, and we look forward to hearing from you.