It’s been just over a year since the rescission of federal funding for public media. That loss of funding remains a devastating blow and an existential threat to many public media stations around the country. Some stations have been forced to cease operations, and others are fighting hard against difficult realities pushing them in that direction. In several cases, small local stations have been able to remain on the air only through partnership with larger stations in nearby markets. While I’m pleased these stations have found a path forward, I also lament the local services and programming those communities will lose. 

Here in the Ozarks, we are fortunate and grateful to have a different story to tell. We have seen, with no uncertainty, that access to public media programming is important to the communities we serve. We received an outpouring of support during this first year without federal funding. I cannot tell you how meaningful that support has been – both to the station’s stability and to the morale of our team. 

Last month, we began a new fiscal year. As the calendar turned, we started again. Ahead of us lies a new slate of projects and a new budget gap to close. With our community behind us, I know we can accomplish both. Thank you for keeping public media alive in the Ozarks. 

Rachel Knight
General Manager