by Cincinnati Public Radio’s President & CEO, Richard Eiswerth

Dear Loveland Friend,

Thank you for your support of Cincinnati Public Radio, and for listening every day to WVXU, WMUB and/or WGUC!

As you know better than most, Cincinnati Public Radio is more than just three radio stations—it’s a trusted source of local news, a hub for meaningful conversations, and a vital part of the southwest Ohio’s civic and cultural landscape. Every day, WVXU journalists deliver fact-based reporting and programming that keep you informed and connected. And every week, WGUC hosts present the finest in classical music and keep you up-to-date on Greater Cincinnati’s arts and culture scene.

Through initiatives such as our fact-checking partnership, in-depth election coverage and voters’ guides, broadcasts of the Cincinnati Symphony, Opera and May Festival, and community engagement events, we provide news and information that provide entertainment, education, enrichment, and foster critical thinking and informed decision-making.

However, recent actions by the Administration and Congress have raised broad concerns about the future of public media:

• Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that support essential services and reporting are at risk.
• The Federal Communications Commission has launched an investigation into NPR’s and PBS’s sponsorship messaging.
• The CEOs of NPR and PBS have been requested to appear before Congress.
• NPR has been ordered to vacate its Pentagon workspace.

Since its establishment in 1967, CPB has been a crucial funding source for public radio and television stations nationwide. Although CPB support represents only 0.0076% of the federal budget, it is a lifeline for smaller stations, accounting for up to 50% of their revenue.

In addition, defunding CPB would have devastating consequences, particularly for tribal, rural, Spanish-language and religious nonprofit stations that provide critical news, emergency alerts and cultural programming. Public radio reaches 99 percent of the American population with free over-the-air and online programming and connects communities with national, state, and local news and information, as well as emergency alerts and warnings.

At Cincinnati Public Radio, CPB funding accounts for about 5% of our annual budget. Losing this support would place a strain on our operations and diminish our ability to deliver the in-depth journalism and programming you rely on. But CPB’s impact goes beyond direct funding—it also provides indirect support that offsets the costs of our reporting, broadcasting and publishing efforts.

For example, The Ohio Newsroom, our statewide partnership among public radio stations that brings news stories from parts of the state that would otherwise go unreported and ignored, would not have been possible without grants funded through CPB. The Ohio Newsroom builds upon the partnership of public radio stations in Ohio to increase and enhance high-quality, in-depth, fact-driven journalism to serve the public on radio, digital, and video platforms. It increases reporting from all regions of Ohio featuring a wide range of diverse voices.

At Cincinnati Public Radio, our mission is clear: to provide accurate, fact-based journalism, and the best in fine arts entertainment — not to push an agenda. And ongoing federal support is critical to fulfilling that mission, especially at a time when other reliable sources of news and information continue to decline.

Now, more than ever, public media needs your voice. We encourage you to join the Protect My Public Media campaign and advocate for the essential role that public media like Cincinnati Public Radio play in our communities. Together, we can ensure that independent local media continues to thrive.

How You Can Take Action