On party-line vote, House votes to defund NPR

By Karoun Demirjian

Thursday, March 17, 2011 | 11:48 a.m.

House Republicans have been threatening to do it ever since Juan Williams was fired over comments he made on Fox News, and today they made it official, delivering the ultimate censure to National Public Radio by pulling all federal funding for it and its affiliates.

As Congress moved closer to the vote -- which ended up 236-181, almost exactly along party lines -- NPR officials were taking steps to dismiss the gesture as a largely symbolic one, since nationally, the network only relies on federal funding for about 2 percent of its operations.

But it’s not such a trite thing for smaller local affiliates, especially those in rural areas, which depend in larger part on money coming from Washington.

NPR, the national organization, keeps its budget humming through listener donations, corporate sponsorships, and the lion’s share -- about 40 percent -- through dues paid by member stations to purchase programming and content.

Zeroing out federal donations doesn’t change NPR’s asking price for programs like "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" -- the most popular programs in the network, and mainstays for most member stations -- but it does make it more difficult for those member stations to pay.

Nevada Public Radio operates, according to its latest annual report, on a budget of about $4.7 million a year, about 10 percent of which comes from the federal government through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

That budget covers not just the relatively sizeable operation at KNPR in Las Vegas, but five other FM radio stations as well: KWPR in Lund/Ely, KLNR in Panaca, KSGU in St. George, KTPH in Tonopah, and KCNV, also in Las Vegas. KUNR is also part of the public radio family of affiliates, operating out of Reno.

While Nevada Public Radio does take in more than it spends, the disappearance of federal dollars would shift the onus of fundraising more heavily to listeners and corporate sponsors -- a daunting task in this state in particular, considering that Las Vegas’ economy remains shaky and unemployment numbers remain high.

A loss of funds could lead either to cuts in programming, or in operations to stations that operate in areas of the state with fewer listeners and potential donors. Nationally, only about one in 10 NPR listeners actually cuts their station a check.

“KNPR is a vital source of news, information, and entertainment for residents of Southern Nevada,” said Nevada Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, who voted against the bill to strip NPR funding. “I oppose efforts to cut vital funding for NPR that will also impact Nevada’s public radio stations and their ability to offer listeners programs they enjoy and that present unique points of view, including local talk shows like KNPR’s State of Nevada.”

Nevada Republican Reps. Dean Heller and Joe Heck voted for the bill.

While bias in coverage has been a complaint of several in the Republican party for some time, the bill’s backers in the House explained their opposition to funding NPR more in the words of modernism, saying the role of the federal government in supporting non-commercial public broadcasting had been obviated by the proliferation of other news and entertainment sources in the open market, especially online.

The House’s move won’t mean anything unless the Senate also decides to follow suit. Funding for public radio broadcasting is one of several items that is on the table for reductions or outright cuts as lawmakers hash out a budget plan for the rest of this year.