Dear Editor: We, the KCAW Board of Directors, are writing to you with an urgent request.
Earlier this week, the White House called on Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A 45-day window will soon open in which Congress will need to adopt or reject the proposed cuts.
The stakes are real for KCAW, and for Sitka. Funding from CPB is 24% of KCAW’s 2025-2026 budget. That's $178,595.
While we are doing everything we can to prepare, if the cuts go through we will feel and hear significant impacts to the station’s services.
Those services look like the emergency weather alerts that allow fishing fleets to make informed decisions on the water and safely return home to their families. They look like public safety updates on the landslide risk dashboard (which otherwise does not have an alert function).
We will also never underestimate the criticality, the heat, and the joy of the everyday goings-on of our station.
Good music. Electric conversation. Our neighbors’ stories shared during ‘‘Sitka Tells Tales,’’ and the Tlingit words that fill living rooms during ‘‘Our Grandparents’ Teachings.’’ Local radio is the mirror to our community.
CPB is built on the principle that everyone deserves access to information. It’s what allows rural communities with small populations like ours (that can’t fundraise as much as bigger city stations) to have equal access to public media. This community deserves strong local news and meaningful storytelling.
So here’s our ask:
CALL your federal representatives and express your desire to protect public media in your community.
Go to https://protectmypublicmedia.org/ for instructions.
Calling early will make a difference. We hope you can exercise your voice with us. With gratitude,
The KCAW Board of Directors
