Public media in crisis as broadcasters brace for budget blows

With sweeping cuts to federally funded programs under the One Big, Beautiful Bill, stations like PBS Guam and KPRG could see vital resources dry up, threatening educational and cultural programming.

PBS Guam currently receives just under $1 million each fiscal year through the corporation for public broadcasting. 

That federal support makes up a critical 65% of the station’s budget.

Without it, General Manager Ina Carillo says they will be forced to scale back in ways that could be felt island-wide.

“PBS serves our community in so many ways. Not only providing educational programming, cultural programming, but things like the Liberation parade,” said Carillo. “This threatens not only our station, but stations across the nation.”

She adds that they’ve already had to overhaul their budget, putting plans to renovate the decades-old facility on hold and shelving a new sports program they were getting ready to release. 

“That’s something that’s not possible now because I have to reprogram funding,” added Carillo. 

Similarly, KPRG, Guam’s only public radio station, has also been left reeling.

Writing to KUAM, President and CEO of the station, Chris Hartig, says the federal funding cuts have slashed 30% of their budget, impacting a local resource for news, music, and a home for regional commentary on life in the marianas, a mission they’ve been committed to since 1994.

And PBS isn’t just broadcasting: It’s educating, providing 12 hours of daily educational content aimed at helping children prepare for kindergarten, especially those who aren’t able to attend daycare or preschool.

“So, we do have some programming, content, games, and additional educational content in the pipeline, but that is only going to last so long without consistent production and creative work,” said Carillo. 

Notably, PBS Guam also documents local and regional stories from collecting the life stories of our leaders to delving into the history of CHamoru dance.

But these projects require long-term investment and a dedicated team.

At this time Carillo’s top priority is protecting her staff and keeping core programs alive. 

“I want to keep the lights on, I need to make sure my staff has jobs to come to, and I need to make sure that we have some programming to broadcast,” added Carillo. 

But she says they can’t do it alone.

Both PBS Guam and KPRG are urging the community to step up, whether it’s by donating directly through their websites or contacting lawmakers to fight for the future of public media on Guam.

Carillo also calls on our diaspora across the states to make their voices heard to their representatives on this issue. 

“It really is such a valuable resource to our community and it would be such a shame to see it go away,” said Carillo.