KSMQ avoids major cuts
Published 5:00 pm Saturday, April 16, 2011
Republican efforts to slash funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) have failed, leaving local public station KSMQ almost in the clear.
While KSMQ will likely receive a dollar amount similar to that of last year’s from CPB, KSMQ Interim President and CEO Suzy Meneguzzo said the station could still lose funding from the state.
“It’s looking more positive, but we’re not entirely sure just yet,” Meneguzzo said. “On the federal level there will be very mild cuts. On the state side, nothing has been finalized yet.”
Meneguzzo said the station receives 37 percent of its funding from the federal government and 24 percent from the state, with the remaining percentage filled in by membership support and donations from individual corporations.
In March, CPB’s federal funding was put in danger when Republican lawmakers rallied to cut CPB due to controversy surrounding National Public Radio, which is also funded by CPB.
This week, Congress passed a bill appropriating $445 million to CPB in fiscal year 2012.
Meneguzzo said she’s feeling positive even though the state has yet to commit any funding.
“We had a great membership drive in March,” she said. “We exceeded our goal, and at the time things were still very uncertain. We’ve gotten a lot of support from our viewers, so that helps us on all levels.”