Just as the Governor of Alaska was telling people to tune to the radio for continued wildfire updates, he announced all public radio and TV stations would see their funding reduced. $2 million in public funding will be slashed.
KTNA in Talkeetna, KBBI in Homer and KDLG in Dillingham are three stations that will be affected. will be vetoed by the Governor.
KTNA’s Phillip Manning tells KTUU Television the station will lose about $70,000 or a quarter of its budget. “Office hours and staff time are being reduced and programming may need to be cut in the future.”
KBBI news director Kathleen Gustafson told KTUU the veto would not be fatal as KBBI has strong community support.
KDLG station manager Sam Gardner tells the TV station the veto could cut 8-10% out of KDLG’s budget.
On Monday, the governor went on social media and advised resident s to: “Stay tuned to your radio so you can get emergency updates.”
It’s not three, it’s for all of Public Broadcasting in the State of Alaska