Staying in the green while you're able to, though painful, is insurance for when you're not able to. Unfortunately, there may be many public media stations who will soon find themselves in the latter scenario soon.
Exactly right, Alex. That "insurance" framing is spot on—and given what's happening with federal funding, it's about to become a lot more relevant for stations across the country.
What made our decision brutal was that we were doing fine financially overall. So staff couldn't understand why we'd kill a program that was working. But that's exactly when you can think strategically instead of just scrambling to survive.
Your reporting on the federal funding situation makes this even more urgent. Stations that haven't already figured out sustainable revenue or made tough calls about programs they can't afford are going to get hit hard—with way fewer options.
We made that call while we still had an endowment and other revenue to cushion the blow. A lot of stations won't have that when federal support disappears.
Sometimes you have to make the call that feels wrong to protect what matters most when things really go sideways. Appreciate the thoughtful comment and your continued coverage of these issues.
Staying in the green while you're able to, though painful, is insurance for when you're not able to. Unfortunately, there may be many public media stations who will soon find themselves in the latter scenario soon.
Exactly right, Alex. That "insurance" framing is spot on—and given what's happening with federal funding, it's about to become a lot more relevant for stations across the country.
What made our decision brutal was that we were doing fine financially overall. So staff couldn't understand why we'd kill a program that was working. But that's exactly when you can think strategically instead of just scrambling to survive.
Your reporting on the federal funding situation makes this even more urgent. Stations that haven't already figured out sustainable revenue or made tough calls about programs they can't afford are going to get hit hard—with way fewer options.
We made that call while we still had an endowment and other revenue to cushion the blow. A lot of stations won't have that when federal support disappears.
Sometimes you have to make the call that feels wrong to protect what matters most when things really go sideways. Appreciate the thoughtful comment and your continued coverage of these issues.