NPR and PBS affiliate WHYY faces future without federal funding
The big picture: The U.S. House voted early Friday to give final approval to legislation clawing back $9 billion in federal funding for the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio and foreign aid programs.
Zoom in: WHYY is not expected to cut programming or staff in the wake of any federal funding loss, WHYY CEO Bill Marrazzo tells Axios.
Yes, but: The outlet could see higher costs acquiring content, or declining revenues from licensing its shows to other stations that are also facing cutbacks.
What they're saying: Marrazzo says WHYY has worked to "build a strong financial and market position to weather disruptions."
"We have grown our audiences across all our platforms and, with it, our contributed income from growth in voluntary contributions of support," he says.
How it works: The GOP's rescissions package takes back money that has already been appropriated by Congress and signed into law by the president.
By the numbers: WHYY received 7% of its budget from federal funding in 2024, or roughly $3.8 million.
Meanwhile, member contributions account for the outlet's largest share of revenue (44%).
State of play: WHYY — which serves about 3 million households spanning Philly and its Pennsylvania suburbs, Delaware and most of New Jersey — has seen membership growth amid consistent declines in federal funding in recent years.
The outlet's membership base rose 7% over the past year and now stands at 139,000.
Zoom out: The federal cuts could have dire effects on other public stations across Pennsylvania:
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