PEORIA, Ill. – The head of Peoria public television station WTVP says the fight to keep its funding will go on.
President and CEO Jenn Gordon says there’s disappointment in the U.S. House vote on Thursday to strip NPR and PBS of federal funding. It was part of a more than $9 billion cut that included foreign aid.
Gordon believes that made it difficult for a Republican-led House to separate public broadcasting funding from the bill. But she says public outcry across the country helped make the House vote closer than predicted.
“Now we’re pivoting our efforts towards encouraging everyone to reach out to their Senators and continue to voice their opinion, if they think public broadcasting should receive federal funding,” Gordon said.
Gordon says the amount being cut amounts to less than 1% of the federal budget, but says it funds a huge impact. She says that includes educational programming for children.
Gordon says about $1 million of WTVP’s budget, which is around 30-35% each year, comes from federal funding.
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