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West Virginia Public Broadcasting navigates post-recission funding issues

West Virginia Public Broadcasting Executive Director Eddie Isom holds up an Emmy award the network received for its Inside Appalachia Folksways project during a quarterly meeting of the Educational Broadcasting Commission. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

CHARLESTON — While future federal funding for local public broadcasting stations remains up in the air, West Virginia Public Broadcasting is working to adapt and be nimble while continuing to provide the state educational programming.

Eddie Isom, executive director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) briefed members of the state Educational Broadcasting Authority during its quarterly meeting Wednesday morning at WVPB’s downtown Charleston headquarters.

“Funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was ended, but things are still kind of up in the air on what that means,” Isom told commission members.

Congress approved House Resolution 4, the Recissions Act of 2025, in July, which was quickly signed into law by President Donald Trump. West Virginia’s two U.S. senators and two Representatives voted in favor of the bill.

The recissions package clawed back more than $9 billion in foreign aid and direct funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that was already appropriated for the current federal fiscal year ending in October. The CPB cuts came to more than $1.1 billion, leaving it with barely $30 million, causing CPB to announce in August it was shutting down its operations.

The recissions package came after Trump’s May executive order calling for the CPB — the non-profit founded by Congress in 1967 — to cease all direct and indirect funding of National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). NPR and several NPR member stations filed a federal lawsuit in June asking the courts to block Trump’s executive order and declare it unconstitutional.

Trump and congressional Republicans argue that federal funding for NPR and PBS is no longer needed due to the abundance of media options for consumers. They also accuse NPR and PBS of liberal/progressive media bias favoring Democratic politics and policies over Republican positions.

Federal funding through CPB and other grants made up 18.8% of West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s $10.2 million budget in fiscal year 2024, according to its most recent annual report. Fiscal year 2024 federal funding for WVPB was $1.9 million. As of June, WVPB has received $1.6 million in funding through CPB.

Isom said that WVPB was working with national programming distributors to try to bring down the costs of programming aired on WVPB’s network of radio and TV stations, looking at programming schedules, and deciding to cut certain programs such as the Lawrence Welk Show.

“While it was really great to have on the air for years, it really doesn’t meet the educational mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, and it was actually quite expensive,” Isom said. “Those are the kinds of things we’re going to be looking at over the next few months.”

WVPB has not replaced departing employees with new hires, awaiting more information on funding. Isom also said that a Public Media Bridge Fund has been set up in order to provide grant funding to rural and underserved public media markets, but WVPB is awaiting more information on how to apply for this funding.

“These are foundations from across the country that have been putting money in this fund,” Isom said. “It hasn’t been opened up to local stations yet, so we’re waiting on that to start our application for that. Until all of that happens, we’re really just going to continue operating as we always have to move forward with the mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.”

Isom said fundraising and sustaining members is up from this time last year in response to funding concerns. WVPB raised $189,951 in July with 352 new sustainers, compared to raising $123,000 in July 2024 with 74 new sustainers that month. In August, WVPB raised $150,700 with 206 new sustainers, compared to raising $121,400 in August 2024 with 52 new sustainers.

Just two months into fiscal year 2026, WVPB is already 50% of the way to its underwriting goal. The West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation, which handles major gifts, grants and bequests, has $250,000 in active grants, including more than $47,500 for the news division, more than $70,000 for educational services, and $134,000 for the Us and Them podcast. WVPB’s marquee program, Mountain Stage, also picked up two new sponsors.

“We do know that development and underwriting and grants are going to be more crucial than they have been in the past,” Isom said. “And things have been going really well, specifically with fundraising with our members.”

WVPB also continues producing award-winning content. In July, the news and video production departments won a 2025 Ohio Valley Emmy Award for Magazine Program – Single Program for the Inside Appalachia-Folkways Special. WVPB’s educational services help provide books and backpacks to children across the state. Mountain Stage hits the road Sunday, Sept. 21, at the West Virginia University Canady Creative Arts Center, and new listeners are tuning in through digital offerings.

“I just want to stress again that the staff here, they work really, really hard to make a difference in people’s lives,” Isom said. “I want to applaud the staff here for making West Virginia Public Broadcasting what it is.”

“It’s a difficult time for public broadcasting and everybody’s aware of that, but we are certainly moving forward,” said William H. File, chairman of the Educational Broadcasting Commission. “We’ve got a lot of optimism about where we’re headed…But it’s going to take a team effort. We appreciate everybody sticking with us.”

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

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