Budget ax doesn’t scare WVIA

President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget would eliminate funding for public broadcasters like WVIA. That would slash near $1 million in funding for the TV and radio stations it operates.

But Tom Curra, CEO of the Pittston-based media organization, says he’s not worried.

“I’m confident we have overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle,” Curra said.

WVIA counts on federal tax dollars to cover 19 percent of its $5 million in annual expenses.

But money from Washington is particularly important for the organization because it helps to cover the costs of a number of popular programs that drive memberships. Those memberships are its biggest source of income.

That makes federal funding critical to the stations’ ability to carry much of its popular programming, from national news to local specials.

That’s why Curra characterized the prospect of federal funding cuts as a “dim picture” last spring.

‘Bipartisan support’

WVIA and other public broadcasters have seen calls for funding cuts before. Last year’s proposed “hard power” budget from the Trump administration also included severe cuts to public broadcasting.

Republican Congressmen Lou Barletta and Tom Marino, and Democrat Matt Cartwright have since signaled support for federal funding for public broadcasting looking ahead at 2019, Curra said.

“They all tell me that it will have bipartisan support,” Curra said.

Last year, Barletta broke ranks with the Trump White House on the issue, and joined some of his colleagues urging the administration to maintain funding.

“Public broadcasting is especially important to rural communities in our area where it is often the only source of free, high-quality local programming available to families,” Barletta said in a written response at the time.

Barletta, now seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate with Trump’s blessing, had little to add this budget season, issuing a short statement calling public broadcasting “a benefit to local communities” that he hopes to “again have the chance to support.”

So, while the proposed cuts to public broadcasting have generated ample headlines in major publications, Curra cautioned that it is just a proposal.

“What matters is what (passes) the House and the Senate,” he said.

The potential savings of eliminating all funding for PBS and NPR — public broadcasting receives about $445 million in federal money — would amount to about one penny per every $100 spent in Washington.

“You’re talking about a grain of sand on the beach in the federal budget,” Curra said.

Recent windfall

Despite state funding cuts, WVIA has found itself on more solid financial footing over the past couple years, thanks to technological advances.

With cellular services in need of more broadcasting bandwidth — commonly called spectrum — the federal government last year allowed broadcasters the chance to sell off some of what they controlled.

For its broadcasting spectrum, WVIA received a $26 million windfall. It planned to use some to make upgrades, but invest the rest conservatively and use the interest to help fund operations.

That should supply the broadcaster with between $800,000 and $900,000 a year, or enough to cover nearly a fifth of its expenses, it said previously.

Meanwhile, WVIA’s membership has been climbing.

Last spring, the organization had roughly 13,500 dues-paying members. This February, that had swelled to 14,500, a nearly 7.5 percent increase, according to the broadcaster.

That’s a good sign that local viewers and listeners are recognizing the organization’s value, Curra said.