Wyoming Public Media operates 4 channels, Wyoming Sounds, Jazz Wyoming, Classical Wyoming, and Wyoming Public Radio. WPM is funded through a block grant from UW. The legislature voted to eliminate the portion of the block grant to specifically defund Wyoming Public Radio because they dislike it’s NPR programs.
However, cutting funding for WPM will impact all of it’s channels. The legislature’s proposal to defund WPM threatens a large part of Wyoming’s culture — WPM connects, entertains, and educates people across the entire state.
The argument against public radio: “Government monies should go for government programs. If WPR and NPR are as good as they say they are, let them compete on the free market with everybody else.”
The truth:
- WPM can’t operate like a commercial station. WPM is licensed by the FCC as a Non-Commercial Educational (NCE) network. WPM can not sell advertisements.
- WPM does not run political ads.
- As a land-grant university, part of UW’s mission is to extend education into Wyoming. Public radio fits this mission with cultural programming, local news and information, BBC programs, entertainment programs, and classical and jazz music from national syndicators, and public service programming.
- National Public Radio (NPR) programming is only a small portion of WPM and that programming is not funded by the state. All programming costs, including the content listeners hear and the editorial decisions that shape “what public radio says,” are funded entirely through donor contributions and grants.
- The cuts will instead eliminate 8 staff positions, the very well-loved music programming, state news coverage, and possibly several transmitters.
Please write, call, and text your State Senators and Representatives and ask them to reinstate funding for Wyoming Public Media.
House Leadership
| Chip.Neiman@wyoleg.gov | (307) 290-0366 | *Speaker |
| Scott.Heiner@wyoleg.gov | (307) 870-2859 | *Majority Floor Leader |
| Jeremy.Haroldson@wyoleg.gov | (307) 331-2310 | *Speaker Pro Tempore |
| Ocean.Andrew@wyoleg.gov | (307) 314-9246 | *Majority Whip |
| Mike.Yin@wyoleg.gov | (307) 201-9897 | *Minority Floor Leader |
| Karlee.Provenza@wyoleg.gov | (307) 977-0202 | *Minority Whip |
| Trey.Sherwood@wyoleg.gov | (307) 760-2722 | *Minority Caucus Chairman |
Senate Leadership
| Bo.Biteman@wyoleg.gov | (307) 751-6178 | *President of the Senate |
| Tara.Nethercott@wyoleg.gov | (307) 399-7696 | *Majority Floor Leader |
| Tim.Salazar@wyoleg.gov | (307) 220-1213 | *Vice President |
| Mike.Gierau@wyoleg.gov | (307) 413-0109 | *Senate Minority Floor Leader |
| Chris.Rothfuss@wyoleg.gov | (307) 399-3556 | *Minority Whip. |
Share your letter with University of Wyoming Trustees who hold the license for WPM: trustees@uwyo.edu
• Wyoming Sounds. WPM can’t produce a 24/7 channel with no producer.
• The signal may be eliminated in your area. With engineering staff cut in half, they won’t be able to service transmitters and will need to make choices.
• Local news will be cut deeply, with two senior reporters gone. This will cut down on newscasts and affect programs like Open Spaces.
• Emergency alerting will be impacted, as will the alerts the public receives.
• Public Service announcements as well as activities like Giving Tuesday will need to be curtailed or eliminated.
• The license itself may be at risk, with staff responsible for compliance no longer employed, the network may be out of compliance with FCC.
• They may need to cut some national programs like This American Life, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, BBC News.
Federal funding questions for Wyoming Public Media:
https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/federal-funding-responses-to-questions
Please share your thoughts