Iowa Public Radio dials in on federal funding threats

While National Public Radio is facing the prospect of losing its federal funding, Iowa Public Radio continues to wean itself from government support.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 228-192 on March 17 to cease federal funding for NPR and prohibit its 400 member stations from using federal funds to buy NPR programming or pay dues to the national organization. The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.

That has Iowa Public Radio CEO Mary Grace Herrington and her colleagues holding their breath, but determined to carry on while that bill goes to the Senate for consideration.

“It's one of the more serious threats to public broadcasting in a number of years,” Herrington said. “The industry is taking it very seriously.”

Of most concern, she said, is the domino effect that could mean reductions in NPR programming available to more urban networks like Iowa's and loss of vital programming for public radio listeners in sparsely populated regions.

Following the March 17 House vote, the Associated Press reported that NPR received almost $5 million in federal funding in fiscal 2010. In that year, its revenues also included $2.8 million in dues and $63 million in programming fees from local stations, its largest single source of revenue.

Federal grants make up 11 percent of Iowa Public Radio's $7 million budget, which translates to $750,000, Herrington said.

The statewide radio network was created in 2004 by merging station operations at Iowa's three state Board of Regents' universities. Iowa Public Radio is moving toward its initial goal to become self-supporting by this year, largely through stepped up financial support from listeners and corporate sponsorships, Herrington said, but she isn't eager to lose that 11 percent from federal grants.

The cuts would be felt even deeper from the Dakotas to Alaska, where stations receive 40 percent to 60 percent of their funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“In some cases (public radio) is the only source of news and public safety information when natural disasters occur,” Herrington said.

If Iowa's ability to buy NPR programming were changed, Herrington said the domino effect could lead to cutbacks in buying the high-rating national programs like “Fresh Air” and “Wait, Wait … Don't Tell Me,” which would lead to a drop in ratings, which could lead to a drop in corporate underwriting support, which could lead a reduction in outreach operations, such as recording and broadcasting Iowa symphony concerts.

In the Iowa City public radio studios, Jeff Schmidt, executive producer of talk shows, also is keeping a close eye on the funding threat.

“But we're not letting it affect the way we do our business,” he said.

“From what I understand, we would evolve our operations to fit whatever financial situation arises,” Schmidt said. “We'd have to cut back on what national programs we could buy, but it would not affect the local programs I would buy.”

Iowa Public Radio's 2009 reports shows more than 220,000 Iowans listen to the network of news, talk shows and music each week.

Herrington said the listener base continues to grow, up 2 percent from last year, with 2,400 new memberships and a 47 percent increase in the number of business supporters.

“We're making great progress,” Herrington said. “In 2009, my first year here, our fundraising was at 52 percent (of total income). In 2010 it was at 58 percent and it's projected to be 66 percent at the end of this fiscal year. That's a nice uptrend in private giving.

“In our planned downtrend, funding from the universities was at 32 percent in 2009, 21 percent in 2010 and for fiscal year 2011, it's at 17 percent,” she cited.

“That's exactly what is supposed to be happening. The private funding goes up and the university funding goes down.”

Bob Dorr, a legendary voice to music fans of KUNI in Cedar Falls, has heard funding threats “many, many times” during his career.

He spent 37 years in public radio before retiring at the end of 2009. He's now an independent contractor, producing the weekend “Backtracks” and “Blue Avenue” music shows from his home in Cedar Falls.

“To my knowledge it's always been a big bluster, but defunding has never happened before,” he said. “I don't think there's been this great of a political divide in that 30-some-odd-year history either.

“I look at it as an opportunity for listeners to step up and reinforce the independence of public broadcasting,” he said. “It's not really going to affect someone like me who sits in a garage and does a records show, but it would affect major news coverage around the world. (NPR) would no longer be able to afford having a correspondent in Moscow or Tokyo or all the places they do now.”