Protect My Public Media

Take a stand for the local stations and programs you love.

For more than 50 years, WQLN has been an integral educational resource for our community. We are a valued, service-driven public media organization, an important regional asset, and a significant contributor to the cultural fabric of our region.

But public media is under attack. NPR, PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are facing unprecedented threats — coordinated efforts aimed at discrediting them, slashing their funding and dismantling their role in American life. These assaults in Washington threaten the existence of public media stations like ours, and we know you rely on us to keep you thoughtfully informed, entertained and engaged.

In the wake of lawsuits against ABC, CBS and the Des Moines Register, it’s clear these attacks aren’t isolated. They’re part of a broader campaign to weaken the media, and together, they threaten to dismantle public media as we know it.

Timeline of key events

April 29, 2025: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, files a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, arguing he lacks authority to dismiss its board members since CPB is not a federal agency. U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss issues an injunction blocking the firings until a hearing May 14.
April 28, 2025: The White House emails dismissal notices to three of the five CPB board members.
April 14, 2025: The White House drafts a memo formally asking Congress to rescind billions in previously approved federal funding, including $1.1 billion allocated to CPB — representing two years of public media support for fiscal 2026 and 2027, except for $100 million reserved for emergency communications. NPR reports the memo will be sent to Congress when lawmakers return April 28.
March 26, 2025: U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., chair of the new House subcommittee Delivering on Government Efficiency, questions NPR and PBS executives in a hearing titled “Anti-American Airwaves,” accusing the networks of “systematically biased content.”
Feb. 11, 2025: U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., introduces a bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to eliminate federal funding for CPB, joining several similar bills in Congress.
Feb. 1, 2025: NPR and other major news outlets are ordered to vacate their Pentagon office space.
Jan. 30, 2025: The FCC, under Trump’s appointed chair, launches an investigation into NPR and PBS.
Jan. 27, 2025: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget announces a freeze on federal financial assistance programs; the freeze is later lifted.
Nov. 20, 2024: In a Wall Street Journal editorial, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy name CPB among the agencies they aim to defund as part of their proposed Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

What is CPB?
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit organization created by Congress in 1967. Congress provides funding to CPB in two-year advance allocations, and CPB distributes more than 70% of that funding directly to more than 1,500 local public media stations nationwide. However, a subcommittee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has recommended that all federal funding to CPB end. A rescission package will be sent to Congress in the coming days to claw back all funding to CPB for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, essentially ending future federal support for public media stations like WQLN.

Federal funding through CPB makes up 37% of WQLN’s annual operating revenue, or $1.2 million, in fiscal year 2024. That funding is a highly effective and efficient investment in providing essential local services and improving the lives of people in our community. To be clear, federal funding cannot be replaced. While we are grateful for the thousands of loyal and thoughtful donors and supporters of WQLN, a decrease or loss of federal funding would greatly impact our ability to deliver important services the community relies on.

Federal funding not only supports quality programming, it also:

Enables collaboration with local, state and federal public safety officials to provide emergency communication services that help save lives and protect property
Supports partnerships with parents, caregivers, teachers and homeschoolers to help prepare children for success in school and life through free, accessible and proven educational content — especially for children who don’t attend formal preschool
Strengthens connections with local communities and organizations to share the stories, priorities, history and culture that are uniquely theirs

We are Champions of Local
While national content is everywhere, truly local, community-rooted programming is becoming harder to find. Across the country, many communities are losing the homegrown shows and voices that reflect who they are — but at WQLN, we are champions of local.

Locally produced radio programs like “Classics with Brian Hannah,” “Third Set with Gary Finney,” our Emmy Award-winning television docuseries “Chronicles,” and special events like “Sounds Around Town,” which features live regional talent, aren’t just entertainment — they’re a reflection of our region’s culture, creativity and character. These programs offer a place where local musicians, storytellers and voices can be heard, and where our community gathers for shared experiences you won’t find anywhere else.

At this critical moment, CPB funding stands as a vital safeguard for stations like ours. It helps keep local public media alive — programs made here, for here. Without it, communities like ours would lose not only cherished programming but also nationally recognized educational programs that reach our youngest community members right in their neighborhoods, making essential lessons and resources readily available and easily accessible.

Through partnerships with the Erie Housing Authority, St. Martin Center, Mercy Center for Women and many others, the WQLN PBS Kids Stream Machine — a mobile classroom on wheels — delivers educational content in science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math. The impact has been immense. More than 4,600 young children have engaged in activities that spark curiosity and promote hands-on exploration.

Your generous support, along with federal funding, keeps these local traditions thriving for everyone in our community.

How you can help
We need you to stand up for public media — right now.

Contact Congress: Visit protectmypublicmedia.org and tell your representatives why public media matters. Share how it serves you, your family and your community. Voice your support for public media by opposing cuts to federal funding or limits on how public media stations can spend federal dollars.
Stay Engaged: This fight won’t end soon. Keep watching, keep speaking up and keep showing up. We’re counting on you.

Read Now: Letter from our CEO & President