To The Public We Serve,

Thank you for being a WBEZ listener and supporter.

Last week the President’s proposed budget blueprint called for ending all federal funding for public broadcasting through a Federal appropriation to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). WBEZ, like many public radio and television stations in large and small communities across the country, receives funding from CPB to assist with the expense of airing programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered from NPR.

Consider these facts:

• 41 million people listen to public radio stations across the country each week, including almost 1 million here in Chicago.
• Federal funding for public radio is less than $0.30 per year per citizen.
• The cost to fund CPB is 0.01% of the entire federal budget.

In an era where newspapers and other news sources struggle to stay afloat, the American public has had the good fortune since 1967 of being able to rely on CPB funding to support the vital services that local stations like WBEZ provide, particularly in rural and under-resourced communities. While WBEZ remains on solid financial footing today, thanks in large part to the financial contributions of our members, other public radio and television stations across the country are not as fortunate. CPB acts as a critical lifeline in providing these other stations with the funding they need to operate.

What happens next? Ultimately, Congress will decide on the budget, and we are hopeful public media has strong support from citizens and legislators on Capitol Hill. But, while we wait for the process to play out here’s what you can do today to ensure a positive outcome:

• Contact your Senator or Congressperson and tell them you support CPB funding and rely on WBEZ.
• Make a financial contribution to WBEZ and urge others to do the same.
• Sign an online petition at protectmypublicmedia.org in support of public media.

Millions of Americans depend on their local public radio stations for the fact-based, unbiased, public service journalism they need to stay informed about the news in their communities and the world. In these politically charged times, we need your support to ensure public media’s future is preserved for generations to come.

Sincerely, 

Goli Sheikholeslami

President and CEO

Chicago Public Media