Valley PBS and KVPR brace for major losses as Corporation for Public Broadcasting shuts down

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The non-profit that provides grants to local stations, such as Valley PBS and NPR programs, announced today it will begin shutting down operations and cutting a majority of its jobs.

This news comes less than a month after the White House clawed back more than one billion dollars of already appropriated federal funds for local broadcasting.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is to shut down in the coming months after a successful republican led effort to defund local stations like PBS and NPR.

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President and General Manager of KVPR, the valley's local NPR station, Joe Moore, says they are searching for solutions.

"Within an hour of the vote from Congress, we were on the air talking to our listeners. Telling them what's happening in Washington, what it means for KVPR, and asking for support," says Moore.

These cuts are unprecedented as CPB has been around since the 60s.

For Valley PBS, it's a loss of about 25% of its funding, which could threaten anything from local programming to children's shows like Sesame Street.

But for KVPR, the loss isn't as great. They expect a cut of about 7% of their overall budget for the next fiscal year.

"We are facing the potential loss of local coverage, the potential downsizing of our operations, and the loss of programs that listeners have come to love and rely on," says Moore.

So far, they haven't cut any staff but have had to leave open positions vacant for the time being.

"We have basically two months to raise replacement funding to ensure we don't have to implement those cuts," says Moore.

RELATED: Valley PBS and Valley Public Radio impacted after House passes public broadcasting cuts

In a Truth Social Post, the President called public broadcasting, 'atrocious' and a waste of money.

But Moore says it's not that simple for public stations to turn private.

"A lot of stations that are on the commercial side are for profit, and they are allowed to sell advertising. Federal regulations don't allow non-commercial broadcast teams. Our license stipulates that we cannot sell an ad," says Moore.

"We're not asking to be a commercial broadcaster that's not our role," says Moore.

As of Friday, KVPR has raised about $100,000. That's about $75,000 short of what they need to raise. If they are unable to make up for that amount, cuts may be on the horizon.

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