With a $1.1 billion cut in federal funding for public broadcasting set to become law, local public radio and television stations have issued pleas to listeners for financial support.

The Summit FM sent an email letter to its listeners Friday morning, asking those who are not already sustaining members to make a donation.

The rescission of funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will mean $130,000 earmarked for The Summit will not be coming to the radio station. That amount represents 10% of the station’s annual operating budget. 

Tommy Bruno, station manager, said in the letter  the money is “funding we have relied upon for nearly 30 years.”

The Summit is based in Akron and can be heard in the Mahoning Valley at 90.7 FM. The commercial-free station is known for its curated mix of modern indie rock and Americana format.

The U.S. Senate approved a $9 billion rescission from the budget Thursday, and the House did the same Friday morning. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure Friday. The remaining $7.9 billion in cuts was earmarked for foreign aid.

“The loss of CPB funding puts many of our cherished programs and services at immediate risk,” The Summit’s Bruno wrote in the station’s letter to listeners. “The programs you’ve come to depend on – from our scholarship initiatives and music instrument donation program to our wellness programming and nonprofit community event support – are now in jeopardy.”

The funding cut affects all 386 radio stations that receive CPB Community Service Grants.

The Summit remains committed to retaining its programming, but to do so, it is asking listeners to become sustaining members, which involves a pledge of continuing financial support. To do so, or for more information, click HERE.

“The elimination of CPB funding is not the end of our story,” reads the letter to Summit listeners. “It’s a call to action.

PBS TV Station

The region’s Public Broadcasting Service television station is also taking action in the wake of the funding cut.

“The vote may be over, but the consequences are just beginning,” PBS Western Reserve said in a statement Friday morning. “The loss of this funding puts essential services at risk.”

For the Kent-based television station, which serves the Valley, the rescission means a $1.2 million annual shortfall.

In response, the station is launching a campaign to raise an additional $1.5 million to sustain daily operations and to strengthen its endowment, the statement reads.

Viewers who wish to donate can do so HERE.

PBS Western Reserve will address questions and concerns about its future at two State of the Station events that will take place at the station at 2 p.m. July 23 and 6:30 p.m. July 24.

Admission is free. The station is at 1750 Campus Center Drive, Kent. 

Registration is required and can be done HERE or by calling 330 474 5033.

Natalie Pillsbury, president and CEO of the station, will provide an update on its initiatives, strategic plan and fiscal year 2026 budget at the events, which will also include time for community feedback.

The federal funding cut is not the only setback the station has received this year. The state of Ohio also reduced funding for public media in its recently passed budget, said Madeline Myers, spokesperson for PBS Western Reserve.