With federal funding cut, WBUR and GBH face uncertain future

Congress dealt a heavy blow to the future of public media in Massachusetts and beyond Friday morning.

With a razor-thin margin, federal lawmakers approved President Trump’s request to claw back more than $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for public broadcasting.

Whether the funding cut is a knockout or a glancing blow remains unclear. Radio stations in rural areas will likely be hit the hardest, as will public television outlets. For some smaller outlets, the cuts could gut half their budget and shutter their doors across the U.S.

"This is a painful moment.”

Margaret Low

The impact on WBUR and GBH, another Boston-based station, could be far-reaching.

"This is a painful moment,” said WBUR CEO Margaret Low in an interview. “We may be defunded but we feel determined to carry on and continue to serve the city and the country with high-quality journalism.”

Both WBUR and GBH receive federal support — although WBUR relies less heavily than most public radio outlets. Approximately 3% of WBUR’s annual budget, or $1.6 million, comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit conduit that distributes federal funds. For GBH, which operates as both a radio and TV station, 8%, or $18 million of its budget is from federal funds.

But WBUR could be hit in another way. It relies on millions of dollars each year in national sponsorships and syndication fees from other stations across the country that pay for WBUR’s national programs, On Point and Here & Now.

Stations that are forced to trim spending or shut down operations may cut WBUR’s programs from their air, which would have an additional impact financially.

“It could be millions and millions of dollars lost,” Low said. “It's really a ‘wait and see’ to see how much the loss is compounded by what happens to our station colleagues across the country.”

Low said it’s too soon to know whether WBUR could face cuts in programming or staff layoffs.

“ Once I know how big a gap there is, then we will decide from there,” she said. “I want to do everything in my power to keep WBUR strong.”

GBH faces similar challenges with its national radio shows like The World and also popular television programs like “Frontline” and “Antiques Roadshow.”

In a statement, GBH president Susan Goldberg called the funding loss “devastating” and said the station would evaluate the “downstream funding impacts.”

The elimination of federal funds comes amid an already challenging financial environment for public broadcasters in Massachusetts. Last month, GBH announced it had cut 45 staff jobs because of revenue concerns. In April 2024, WBUR shed 14% of its staff through buyouts and job cuts.

Jay Allison, a longtime public radio producer who helped found Cape Cod’s local station WCAI, said this feels like the “worst moment” in the history of public media — and blames the current political climate.

“Public broadcasting is so much more than politics. I mean, it's culture and story and neighborhood,” he said. “Ultimately it’s about humanity, and if we can't somehow come together around that, well, things will not get better.”

Editor’s note: WBUR’s Patrick Madden reported this story, and WBUR’s Christine Willmsen is the story editor. Under standard practices for reporting on WBUR, no other BU or WBUR staff were allowed to review the story before publication.