In today’s segment, big changes are coming to what has been known as the Xcel Energy Center. Then, why some state community radio stations are worried about their future. And Minnesota’s Attorney General joins the fight to protect public broadcasting.
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: In today's segment, grand changes coming to what has been known as the Xcel Energy Center. Then, why some state community radio stations are worried about their future. And, Minnesota's Attorney General joins the fight to protect public broadcasting. I'm Gracie J.
What had been known as the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul will now be known as the Grand Casino Arena. Grand Casino Hinckley, owned by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, announced the 14-year naming rights partnership. The Casino's Chief Executive Officer says it represents the strength of tribal enterprise and the tribe's ongoing investment in Minnesota's future. You'll start seeing new signage by this fall.
Next, a move in Congress to cancel already-approved funding for public broadcasting has Minnesota's small radio stations on edge. Xan Holston has more.
Xan Holston: Earlier this month, the US House passed a rescission package, a rare budget maneuver that could claw back $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB.
[Nat sound - Rep. Jim Jordan on House floor: "Taxpayer funding for woke media entities is absurd."
Xan Holston: Critics have long targeted the CPB for what they call biased media from the Public Broadcasting Service, commonly known as PBS and National Public Radio, known as NPR. But those national brands only receive a fraction of the CPB funds. More than 70% goes directly to smaller, non-commercial local television and radio stations in Minnesota. Most of them serve rural or tribal communities.
[Nat Sound: KKWE Promo: "That's why I listen to NIIJII radio like you do, you can hear music and other programs you don't hear on commercial radio."]
Xan Holston: KKWE NIIJII radio is an independently operated Anishinaabe community station in Callaway in Northwest Minnesota. Station Manager Maggie Rousu said half the station's budget comes from the CPB, which helps pay for staffing through employees and buying radio programs.
Maggie Rousu: We definitely seek out programming that fits our community and that's the community of White Earth nation.
Xan Holston: While stations are required to spend a portion of their CPB grants on national programming, there are sources beyond NPR, including Native Voice One. But the funding also helps them provide local reporting, like broadcasting their tribal executive committee meetings. Rousu said those local stories don't just reflect the community. They are the community. The community losing those funds would cut right at the heart of who they are.
Maggie Rousu: If we get hit, we get hurt.
Mark Johnson: We're not really the target. We're sort of collateral damage.
Xan Holston: Mark Johnson is station manager at KSRQ in Thief River Falls.
[Nat Sound – KSRQ announcer: "…thank you for tuning in to Pioneer 90.1 community radio for the Northland."]
Xan Holston: About 30% of their budget comes from the CPB. That money covers the same essentials as at KKWE. It also helps the station qualify for state support, but only if it maintains two full-time equivalent staff. KSRQ has 2.5 employees.
Mark Johnson: Without the federal funding, and therefore without the state funding, it is very difficult to see a way forward.
Xan Holston: At KAXE in Grand Rapids and KBXE in Bagley, the story is a little different. Station director Sarah Bignall says they get 13% of their budget, about $200,000, from the CPB. But financials are only part of it. They also get technical support for emergency broadcasting systems and collaboration tools that let rural stations pool resources. Losing access to those services would be like losing…
Sarah Bignall: …closer to $400,000 instead of just the $200,000 that we receive in actual cash money.
Xan Holston: The rescission bill is expected to go to the US Senate's appropriation committee in early July, where lawmakers could pass it, amend it, or let it stall. If the Senate takes no action, the rescission deal will expire on July 18, and funding will go through as originally planned. But even if that happens, many in Congress are determined to prevent CPB from getting any new funding. For KSRQ's Johnson, the loss would be short-sighted. Funding the CPB cost each taxpayer less than half a penny a day.
Mark Johnson: It's a tremendous value. I mean, I just think that there are very few things that are a better deal than $1.60 for all of public broadcasting.
Xan Holston: For North Star Stories, I'm Xan Holston.
ANCHOR: It should be noted that AMPERS produces North Star Stories and is responsible for its content. AMPERS helps to support 17 community radio stations, including those mentioned in the report you just heard. AMPERS itself does not receive funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
In a related story, Minnesota's Attorney General has joined 21 others in filing a brief with the US Supreme Court supporting public broadcasting. In late May, National Public Radio and three public stations in Colorado sued to prevent the Trump Administration from eliminating federal funding. The friend of the court brief argues that cuts to public broadcasting will create risks to public safety by disrupting the distribution of emergency information.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.