PA Budget Drops Funding for Public Broadcasting

Among the few losers of Pennsylvania’s most recent state budget, passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, are Pennsylvania’s public broadcasters.

The $40B-plus budget pumped more taxpayer money into education and violence prevention while saving billions of dollars for the future.

But even with a multi-billion dollar surplus, seven public TV and radio stations — such as WHYY in Philadelphia, WQED in Pittsburgh, and WITF in Harrisburg saw their funding eliminated.

They had received $2.75 million in state taxpayer support since 2016, but that was reduced to zero this year.

In a joint statement to the Capital-Star, the broadcasters said they primarily used the money to air children’s television programs, such as Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, during the pandemic.

The funding is available to “Pennsylvania public television organizations for technology needs and operating expenses,” according to the Department of Community and Economic Development, which administers the program. It’s existed since at least 2016.

For the past three budgets, the stations have received $750,000. For the two before that, they received $250,000.

These funds have been split among the commonwealth’s seven public television stations, which dot every corner of the Commonwealth, from Erie to Wilkes-Barre and from Philadelphia to State College.

The dollars at stake are a small slice — just under one percent — of the seven broadcasters’ revenues. The stations brought in $86.5 million during the 2019-20 fiscal year, according to their most recent financial records. The cuts also won’t impact the station’s news gathering operations, according to a spokesperson.

But according to Victor Pickard, a University of Pennsylvania professor who has studied journalism and democracy, public funding for media in the United States is skimpy as is, and any cuts should be taken seriously.