Maher Memo Details Impact of Potential NPR Budget Cuts

Katherine Maher, NPR’s president and CEO since March 2024, has publicly addressed the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate federal funding for public media, including NPR and PBS, as outlined in a White House memo to Congress. 

The proposal, reported on April 16, 2025, aims to cut nearly all federal funding, including $9.3 billion already appropriated, accusing NPR and PBS of spreading “radical, woke propaganda disguised as news.” 

Key Impacts of Lost Federal Funding:

Impact on Member Stations: Maher emphasized that the most significant effect would be on NPR’s 246 member stations, which serve 99.7% of the U.S. population. These stations receive about $100 million of the $121–122 million in annual federal funding for public radio, primarily through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Rural and underserved areas, where infrastructure costs are high, would be hit hardest. Smaller stations, often 20–50% reliant on CPB grants, could face closure, leaving one-fifth of Americans without local news access, especially in “news deserts” where public media is the only outlet.

Katherin Maher

NPR’s Budget: NPR directly receives about 1% of its $300 million annual budget ($3 million) from federal funds, with an additional $8 million supporting the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), which connects 1,300 stations for real-time broadcasts and emergency alerts. While NPR could likely survive without this funding, Maher stressed that the loss would impair its ability to thrive as a national network, reducing the richness of its coverage.

Local News and Public Service: The cuts threaten local newsrooms, particularly in areas where newspapers have already closed. Federal funds support critical infrastructure like broadcast towers and enable reporting on issues like veterans’ affairs, elections, and emergencies. For example, NPR’s reporting led to VA policy changes benefiting veterans. Losing this capacity could diminish public media’s role in fostering informed communities.

Economic Efficiency: Maher argued that public media is a cost-effective public-private partnership, with federal investment averaging $1.60 per person annually. Each federal dollar leverages $7 in private donations, making it a high-impact investment compared to its cost.

The memo is set to be sent to Congress on April 28, 2025, initiating a 45-day window for approval or restoration of funds. Maher’s discussions, notably in interviews with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, BPR’s Jose Sandoval, and at the 26th International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ), highlight the potential consequences of these cuts.