Dunleavy budget again wipes out public radio, TV grants

The Dunleavy administration has said repeatedly that its plan to end support for public radio and television is necessary because “The State's fiscal reality dictates a reduction in expenditures across all agencies.”

“We believe that with the number of stations, both radio and television — and just given our fiscal situation, it’s really the fiscal situation that’s driving the need to reduce the budget — we believe that people will still be able to access programs through other means,” Dunleavy said on June 28, 2019.

The Legislature restored $2.7 million in grants, but Dunleavy vetoed the money multiple times.

Dunleavy is again proposing to eliminate $2.7 million in grants for public radio and TV for the next fiscal year.

“With access to grants, federal funding, and other innovative sources of funding, Alaska Public Broadcasting will continue to provide services to Alaskans and will prioritize its services to reach the Alaska communities that most need news and information,” his budget office claims.

What exactly does that statement mean? Nothing. It is deliberately fuzzy.

It is a matter of opinion about which communities “most need news and information” and the amount of innovative sources of funding is unknown. What is clear is that Dunleavy has been a steadfast opponent of state support for public radio and TV.

Under the Walker administration, the budget office said, “Public radio provides thorough and, in many cases, the only coverage of local, regional and statewide news and information, especially in rural service areas. Public radio serves as a local center for community information and messaging to outlying areas. In many instances, public radio stations are providers of the state and federal Emergency Alert System (EAS) and other critical health and safety information programming.”

While the loss of state funds under Dunleavy has been offset to some degree by temporary federal funding because of the pandemic, the future and scope of public broadcasting is in doubt.

Dunleavy’s opposition is again likely to be a significant point of contention with the Legislature in 2021.

Here is an overview about the uncertain prospects for more than two dozen public broadcasting stations.