Indiana’s network of public broadcasters is dissolving its entire statewide reporting team following the General Assembly’s decision to exclude $3.675 million in annual Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations funding from the state’s new two-year budget.
IPBS confirmed that it will eliminate its eight-person IPB News team, which has served as the primary source of collaborative statewide reporting for Indiana’s nine NPR affiliates across the state, covering 95% of the Hoosier State.
In a statement, Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations Executive Director Mark Newman said, “This is an incredibly difficult decision, but with the loss of state funding, individual stations have to make some very difficult decisions to address funding shortfalls and are focused on sustaining services to their local communities.”
IPBS had used those funds to support both journalism and community services, including civic education, cultural programming, and public safety communications such as tornado warnings and emergency alerts, especially in rural areas.
The decision also comes amid larger uncertainty over federal funding. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to eliminate future funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports PBS, NPR, and local public stations nationwide, while Congressional Republicans attempt to claw back pre-alotted funds.
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) said, “We said this would happen. And now it’s here. When the supermajority eliminated every dollar of state funding for public broadcasting during session, we told them what the consequences would be: fewer trusted news sources, fewer watchdogs at the Statehouse, and fewer local voices telling the stories of all Hoosiers. Now Hoosiers are seeing those consequences unfold in real time.”
Yoder emphasized the broader risks, noting, “This isn’t just about journalism. For many rural Hoosiers, public broadcasting is how they receive emergency weather alerts, tornado warnings and other critical public safety information. These decisions are putting lives and communities at risk.”
The cuts have implications across state lines, as well. In neighboring Ohio, WVXU Vice President of News Maryanne Zeleznik said, “Our hearts go out to the Indiana Statehouse reporting staff. They knock it out of the park every day with their solid, thorough, and engaging reporting. WVXU listeners have regularly benefited from their work in our newscasts and as guests on Cincinnati Edition. I can’t imagine having no public media reporting from Indiana. The void will be evident.”
IPBS has not announced layoffs across local stations but confirmed that collaborative statewide reporting will now rely more heavily on individual station journalists. Details of the restructured approach will be shared in the coming weeks.
Newman said specifics of the statewide reporting reorganization will be shared in the near future.
