Latest news with #Corp.forPublicBroadcasting
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Ann Philbin wins the Getty Prize and steers $500,000 to NPR, KCRW and LAist
NPR is receiving a highly symbolic financial boost days before Congress is expected to vote on the fate of federal funding that supports the news and culture nonprofit. Ann Philbin, former director and current director emeritus of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, has been named this year's Getty Prize recipient. The honor comes with a $500,000 grant for a nonprofit of the winner's choice, and Philbin has selected NPR and its Los Angeles member stations, KCRW and LAist. The prize is considered the Getty's highest honor and recognizes what the institution calls 'cultural leaders whose work expands human understanding and appreciation of arts and culture.' Previous awardees include Frank Gehry, Mark Bradford, Ed Ruscha, Yo-Yo Ma and Thelma Golden. 'I wanted to shine a light on one of the most pressing issues of our day,' Philbin said in a phone interview. 'And that's freedom of speech and freedom of the press.' Philbin said she requested that half of the Getty grant go to NPR and the other half to be split between KCRW and LAist. 'Those two radio stations for me — and I think for so many Angelenos who spend so much time in their cars — are constant companions,' Philbin said. 'We listen to them all the time, and they're precious to us. To even think about the fact that they might not exist is unbearable.' NPR Chief Executive Katherine Maher in May filed a lawsuit against President Trump after he issued an executive order directing the Corp. for Public Broadcasting to freeze all funding to NPR and PBS. She said Philbin's decision to split the donation between NPR and its local affiliates showed a level of understanding about the interdependency of the local and national radio platforms not often mirrored in the national conversation. 'It is an extraordinary gift at an extraordinary time with real, material impact for the stations,' Maher said. Congress has until the end of the week to vote on a White House proposal known as the rescission bill that would claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and more than $500 million per year in federal funding already approved for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which funnels financial support to NPR and PBS as well as local public radio and TV stations across the country. Trump has been adamant that his allies vote in favor of the rescission package, writing on Truth Social last week that he will withhold support and endorsements from any Republican who doesn't vote in its favor. He called the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, NPR and PBS 'a monstrosity.' The proposed cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would total $1.1 billion over the next two years. Federal funding accounts for about 15% of PBS' budget and 1% of NPR's budget, according to NPR, but local stations would be the hardest hit and some may not survive, Maher said. If they vanished, she added, they would take with them the kind of hyper-local, community-based reporting that helps forge and maintain a sense of place, identity and purpose, particularly in rural communities. 'That impact is something that is hard to conceptualize, even when you are a member of Congress who represents some of these communities,' Maher said. 'Because you spend so much time living with one foot in the world of places like Washington, D.C., and very little time in the areas of the country where broadband services are not reliable or easily available, and cellphone service is not necessarily consistent and universal.' Philbin noted that NPR's mission statement is to create a more informed public and to celebrate the diversity of the human experience, and that those values are being challenged by a storm of misinformation. The Getty Prize was founded in 2013 as the Getty Medal. It was initially given to several individuals each year, but last year it transformed into its current incarnation, honoring a single person who chooses the 'pay-it-forward' grant recipient. Last year's honoree was Mark Bradford, who chose to steer the grant money to the Arts for Healing and Justice Network, which brings arts programming to minors in the juvenile justice system.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NPR and public radio stations sue Trump White House over funding cuts
NPR and three of its member stations filed suit in federal court Tuesday against President Trump's White House over the president's executive order to block funding for public media. Trump's order called for an end to government dollars for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to NPR and PBS. He called the outlets "left wing propaganda." The suit says the May 1 action by Trump violated the 1st Amendment. "The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased,'" the legal brief said, according to an NPR report. The suit also says that the funding — currently at around $500 million annually — is appropriated by Congress. The allocation is made two years in advance. "Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government," Corp. for Public Broadcasting chief Patricia Harrison told NPR in a statement. Harrison said that the Corp. for Public Broadcasting is not a federal agency subject to the president's authority. Read more: Nixon hated PBS, but his Watergate scandal gave the fledgling network a major hit "The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press," NPR President and Chief Executive Katherine Maher said in a statement. The order is one of a number of attempts by Trump to limit or intimidate institutions he does not agree with. Targets included law firms, universities and media companies such as CBS, which is being sued for $20 billion over a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. NPR filed the suit with three public radio outlets, including Denver-based Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Pubic Radio and KSUT which serves the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Both NPR and PBS have stressed that the bulk of the federal funding they receive goes to stations that provide local news and emergency alerts for their communities. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
NPR and public radio stations sue Trump White House over funding cuts
NPR and three of its member stations filed suit in federal court Tuesday against President Trump's White House over the president's executive order to block funding for public media. Trump's order called for an end to government dollars for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to NPR and PBS. He called the outlets 'left wing propaganda.' The suit says the May 1 action by Trump violated the 1st Amendment. 'The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased,'' the legal brief said, according to an NPR report. The suit also says that the funding — currently at around $500 million annually — is appropriated by Congress. The allocation is made two years in advance. 'Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government,' Corp. for Public Broadcasting chief Patricia Harrison told NPR in a statement. Harrison said that the Corp. for Public Broadcasting is not a federal agency subject to the president's authority. 'The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press,' NPR President and Chief Executive Katherine Maher said in a statement. The order is one of a number of attempts by Trump to limit or intimidate institutions he does not agree with. Targets included law firms, universities and media companies such as CBS, which is being sued for $20 billion over a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. NPR filed the suit with three public radio outlets, including Denver-based Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Pubic Radio and KSUT which serves the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Both NPR and PBS have stressed that the bulk of the federal funding they receive goes to stations that provide local news and emergency alerts for their communities.
