WASHINGTON – July 16, 2025 – Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, made the following statement on the side deal for Tribal public media stations as part of the Rescissions Act of 2025:
“America’s Public Television Stations are deeply concerned by the side deal to continue some funding for Tribal public media stations while eliminating all funding for local stations and forcing the shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on October 1, 2025.
“The reported Administration promise to reallocate funding from the Department of the Interior to provide one-time support to Tribal public media stations is at best a short-term, half-measure that will still result in cuts and reduced service at the stations it purports to save, while leaving behind all other stations, including many that serve Native populations.
“Simply providing a one-time payment to Tribal stations will not ensure they can continue their current service or even survive.
“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) provides a vast array of additional support for local stations - support that is critical to the continued operations of all local stations, particularly those smaller stations serving Native populations. This support includes:
- Interconnection and distribution infrastructure, which CPB supports on behalf of all stations.
- Music rights and royalty payments, which CPB negotiates system-wide at lower rates.
- Emergency relief grants, technical and fundraising assistance.
- Professional development, technical training, and innovation support.
- Special initiatives tailored to Native and rural service areas, including supplemental community service grants, targeted capacity-building programs, and national programming.
“Providing isolated support to stations without the surrounding ecosystem of systemwide investment and administration would lead to station collapse and service disruption, particularly in rural, Tribal and underserved communities.
“In addition, if CPB funding is eliminated, CPB will be forced to close and investments in programming and other services that all stations benefit from will be eliminated, which will have a direct negative impact on the services all stations, including Tribal stations, will be able to offer to their communities.
“Without the sustained federal investment in public broadcasting through CPB, Tribal stations will be devastated and likely forced off the air.
“A Native Public Media blog post highlights these same concerns on behalf of Tribal stations.
“And the National Congress of American Indians has passed a resolution opposing the recissions package because of the negative impact it will have on service to Native populations.
“America’s Public Television Stations urge Senators to take action to protect Tribal stations and all local public media stations by removing public media funding from the recissions package or voting against it.”
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About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and community connections to their local areas and the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org