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David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and if you have not heard, the Rescissions Act of 2025 has been passed by both the U.S. House and Senate and now awaits the President's signature. I'm David Fair, and it means the federal administration will claw back about $9 billion in already-dedicated monies. It's going to take back nearly $8 billion dedicated to foreign aid and about $1.1 billion from public media. I'm now joined by WEMU General Manager Molly Motherwell, and I know there were hopes the House would reject the plan, Molly, but this didn't catch you by surprise, did it?
Molly Motherwell: No, it didn't. This is something we've been preparing for since it was first brought up in late March, I believe, and it's disappointing, but not unexpected.
David Fair: Another member of public media in Michigan called this "consequential, not catastrophic." But I also heard from another member of a small Michigan public radio station that said she's not sure if her station is going to survive. That certainly sounds catastrophic. Where do you come down on it?
Molly Motherwell: WEMU is probably more in the "consequential, not catastrophic yet" category. As they say, we have been preparing for this, and, for the short term, we are okay. And it's important to note that this funding has been taken back, it constitutes two years of funding. It doesn't necessarily mean funding is gone forever. It does not mean the elimination of CPB or PBS or NPR. This is simply a reallocation or a takeback of funds that have already been appropriated. Now, it's going to have consequences for the next fiscal year, but the appropriations talks for the couple of fiscal years have not begun either. So, there's still a lot up in the air about all of this. In the short term, we're all going to feel the effects.
David Fair: Well, for WEMU, it means about $150,000 in CPB grants for each of those two fiscal years. Equally as important, we could lose out on the CPB negotiating royalty rates for music licensing, and that could impact our ability to put forth the kind of music programming we provide today. Are there other avenues for WEMU and similar stations to pursue that could protect that programming?
Molly Motherwell: There are. Right now, the music licensing fees are paid through December 31st of this year. We have been told that CPB is looking at signing multi-year deals with the music-licensing companies for the next couple of years before the end of this fiscal year, although we don't know exactly where that is. There's also opportunities for music stations to do their own licensing, maybe as a partial agreement or an amendment with their universities' licenses, which covered the use of music but don't cover the use broadcast music. You have changed that slightly. But the big thing is, right now, we don't know how much that cost is, and that's what we're working on finding out.
David Fair: We've asked WEMU listeners in the last couple of on-air fundraisers to help WEMU build a $200,000 cushion while we figure out a path forward. If this all stands, WEMU and other public media are going to have to rely even more on listener contribution. Is that a sustainable model?
Molly Motherwell: It's hard to say this early. We have been very fortunate. Our listeners have been a very responsive to this.
David Fair: Indeed!
Molly Motherwell: And we are very, very grateful for that! In fact, yesterday, we received a number of unsolicited contributions, including a couple from first-time donors. So, in the short term, I think while everything is being sorted out, the users of the system have stepped up as funders and will continue to do that. If it becomes long-term, if there are drastic changes to the overall organization model to CPB, I don't know. I don't know. There's a lot of questions left to be asked and answered. In the short term I think, yes. Again, our listeners will come through for us. They always do. But in the long term, is it sustainable? That's something we're all looking at right now.
David Fair: And as you all look at that, have you come to any sort of determination as to what the first steps are going to be to try and insulate and protect the future?
Molly Motherwell: We're getting together today with the network. I think this is bringing us together more strongly as a network, realizing we are better as a whole and how we're going to go forward involves the networks. It involves NPR. It involves PBS. It involves these organizations where we all work together and build our strength together. Nothing has been proposed yet, but certainly, there's going to be a lot of talk in the next few weeks about how we forge this path forward into the future. I will say this: WEMU is not going anywhere! We will be here for you every day, and we will work within our means and within our ability to always bring you the programming that you want.
David Fair: And we are concerned about the future of other radio stations and public media that may not be as fortunate. So, we are going to do everything we can on our end to protect public media as a whole. Thank you so much for the updates, Molly!
Molly Motherwell: Thanks, David!
David Fair:That is WEMU General Manager Molly Motherwell, discussing next steps after the U.S. House and Senate have passed the Recissions Act of 2025. For more information and to follow along the path forward, check in our website at WEMU.org on a regular basis. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU.
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