When staff and supporters of WQPT Quad Cities PBS recently gathered for the retirement reception of a key employee, it was bittersweet.
Terry Wilson was honored for 16 years of dedicated service to WQPT, including last working as director of marketing and development. His is one of three vacant positions that will be left unfilled as the public TV station grapples the loss of over half its annual budget since the federal government cut the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (effective Oct. 1), which provided $535 million a year to public TV and radio nationwide, of which more than 70% was given to local broadcasters through grants.
In 2024-25, WQPT (the QC PBS station) received $846,207 from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, accounting for 54% of its annual budget. General Manager Dawn Schmitt said cuts will leave the station with just five full-time staff come Jan. 1. WQPT, a public media service of Western Illinois University, Moline, is not considering cutting the number of hours they are on the air, which is 24 hours a day.
It will reduce the free First Book Program by 25%. The First Book Club is WQPT’s outreach program that provides five free books per year to at-risk-children by partnering with Title 1 classrooms. This literacy outreach ensures that children whose families cannot afford books, or might otherwise not have access to them, are provided the opportunity to build their own home library, Schmitt said. “First Book Club is vital to supporting education and diversity in the Quad Cities region.”
In response to funding cuts, WQPT will not be increasing PBS programming. Only 25% of its programming is currently purchased from PBS, and Schmitt does not expect that to go up.
“The other 75% is locally produced or purchased from other public programming sources,” she said. “Our resources to purchase these productions will need to be carefully managed. We will continue to broadcast 24 hour per day with quality programming, but perhaps without some of the popular programs that we will not be able to afford the broadcast rights to.”
“There was also the hope that we could turn it around. And there still is some hope -- very small, but there is a little bit of hope that in the future, actually, they have not finished up the 2026 budget,” Schmitt said Thursday of Congress. “They haven't come to an agreement on that yet. So there is a small bit of hope that we can rally support to get something put back into the 2026 budget, but it's continuing to fight for that, because really, this was a remarkable public-private partnership between public media and the government, and it was supported and enhanced by the local communities as well.’
“It was a really successful partnership that unfortunately it can be replaced because that government funding, CPB that we received, it can be replaced by our communities,” she said. WQPT is absorbing the cuts through attrition – not filling three key positions, including two that had fundraising and grant writing as major parts of the job.
“WQPT staff is going to go from eight employees to five employees by January 1st. We've had to make expense cuts wherever we can, including purchasing new programming,” Schmitt said. “We're going to have to cut back on some of our outreach activities. We're only going to be able to do what the community is going to support through sponsorships.”
“I have a really great staff, so it is incredibly challenging and it's going to be harder on the remaining five,” she said, noting that she and educational outreach director Melissa Gravert will be more active in fundraising. WQPT will not have the big annual fundraising gala it has done in the spring, since that takes money to host, and will choose smaller events, Schmitt said.
Public support for public TV
The public has responded to make up some of the funding difference.
“We're really excited and touched by the way that the community has stepped up,” Schmitt said. “Many of our donors have increased their donations and we have some new donations. New donors as well. So the community has definitely stepped up to show their support for us and to send us notes of encouragement as far as how important WQPT and public television is to this community. So we're very, very appreciative of them.”
The station was eligible to apply to a new Public Media Bridge Fund that supports public media nationwide, but WQPT was not approved for money.
“Unfortunately, we were not awarded any of the funds. I received a message that the need was just so much greater than they were ready for,” Schmitt said. “So I know on a national level they're continuing to seek support to help out the most at-risk stations. And so we will continue to monitor this and when other opportunities open up, we'll definitely throw our hat in the ring. That took the wind out of our sails.”
The Public Media Bridge Fund earlier this month announced a first round of stabilization grants exclusively for local public media, totaling $26 million across 74 organizations operating 186 radio and television stations and reaching 30 million people in communities nationwide that rely on public broadcasting.
This first wave of emergency funding—focused on stations facing the greatest financial challenges—will help ensure the continuation of local news, civic information, cultural programming, and emergency alerts, according to a news release. The Public Media Bridge Fund is a strategic philanthropic initiative by the nonpartisan nonprofit organization Public Media Company (PMC), which has, for more than 20 years, helped local public and independent media organizations expand their service and impact, strengthen their communities, and secure their futures.
PMC projects that, following the rescission of approximately $600 million in annual Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding earlier this year, more than 115 stations are likely to close by mid-2026 without immediate aid. These stations primarily serve rural and underserved areas and often operate as the only outlet for local news and storytelling for these communities.
The organizations receiving Bridge Fund grants face an acute funding gap in the next six months that threatens their ability to continue operations. Most of these stations relied on CPB for more than 25% of their annual operating revenue, leaving them vulnerable following the funding cuts earlier this year. In 2026, the Bridge Fund will engage directly with these organizations to guide them in developing and adapting to new operating models that secure their future and enable them to remain a critical resource in their communities.
“With this initial round of funding, our goal was to present each grantee with a foothold to stabilize their infrastructure and continue their vital services. Thanks to the rapid and generous response of philanthropic leaders across the U.S., we’ve been able to raise crucial funds and quickly get them into the hands of the stations that need them the most,” said Tim Isgitt, CEO of Public Media Company. “These grants not only take another step forward in the collaborative effort to respond to a crisis but also create an opportunity to develop a sustainable future for public media that builds stronger, more engaged, and more connected communities.”
Launched in August 2025 in direct response to the elimination of federal CPB funding, the Public Media Bridge Fund has raised more than $60 million towards its $100 million goal from a wide range of contributors, from individuals to major grants from foundations including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and The Dolby Family.
The Bridge Fund held an open call for grant applications in fall 2025 and selected stations through an evaluation based on rigorously developed criteria that ensured the service provided by each grantee to its region is unique, non-duplicative, and essential to local civic information.
This initial wave of grants will be followed by additional funding opportunities for local public media organizations as the Bridge Fund secures additional philanthropic commitments. Future grantmaking will prioritize projects that advance sustainable business models and broaden services to communities.
“Public television and radio have provided essential services to rural and underserved communities for decades, and generate trust, connectivity, and belonging for their audiences,” said Erik Langner, executive director of the Public Media Bridge Fund. “The Bridge Fund works alongside stations to help them stabilize during this unprecedented crisis, and, ultimately, to help them create pathways to a more sustainable future.”
Need for long-term support
Increased public support can’t just be one-time, but long-term, WQPT’s Schmitt said Thursday.
“If federal funding isn't reestablished in any form, even at a reduced form, that's the biggest thing we need to make sure that the community understands is that this isn't a one-time ask. We need continued support,” said. “We can only exist with the support of our community. And we're going to look different than we did before. We acknowledged that a few months ago and we're really starting to feel it now that it's going to have to look different and we can't do as much as we used to. But we're still going to serve the community as best we can with limited funds.”
It will impact local PBS programming, with the station working to offer more local content.
“Unfortunately, with the loss of funding, me being able to purchase new programs to put on air, that ability is going to be diminished,” Schmitt said. “But we're still looking for great programs that we can bring on through distribution libraries that I subscribe to. I'm also really trying to connect with our local producers. That way I can highlight more local programming. I'm starting to see success with that and I'm just really hoping to grow my connections with the local producing community.”
At public radio station WVIK (90.3 FM and 98.3 FM in the QC), general manager Jared Johnson said that last year, the station got about $135,000 from CPB, accounting for about 13% of the station budget. This fluctuates year to year, but not much, he said.
Currently 85% of WVIK funding comes from local sources, and the station has worked to boost that portion. Johnson said he didn’t expect cuts in staff or programming immediately, but the fundraising done has impacted what 2026 looks like.
For more information on WQPT, click HERE.
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