WITF‘s Public Media Center in Swatara Township, Dauphin County. Staff moved into the new building in November 2006.
WITF Faces Uncertain Future as Congress Cuts Federal Funding for Public Media
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Asia Tabb
WITF‘s Public Media Center in Swatara Township, Dauphin County. Staff moved into the new building in November 2006.
Aired; July 25th, 2025.
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In a sweeping decision with far-reaching consequences, Congress has officially cut federal funding for public media with the passage of the Rescissions Act of 2025. The legislation not only halts future appropriations—it also pulls back already-promised funds, leaving public media outlets like WITF reeling and planning for an uncertain future.
Ron Hetrick, President and CEO of Pennon, spoke about the potential impact in a recent interview on The Spark. “While the 8% of funding that this is for us per year, it’s a critical blow, not a fatal blow. This will be a fatal blow for other public media stations across the country,” said Hetrick. “Some rely on federal dollars for 30–40% of their budgets. In those cases, stations may be forced to shut down.”
The $3 million that WITF expected over the next two fiscal years was already appropriated by Congress, thanks to a unique two-year advance funding structure meant to protect public media from political swings. But that insulation was swept away.
“What this package… did was it took away that two years of forward funding,” explained Hetrick. “So the money that we were expecting in the fiscal year that starts on October 1st… is now gone.”
The decision affects not only WITF’s operations in central Pennsylvania, but also smaller, rural stations nationwide that depend more heavily on federal funding to survive. “Sometimes public media is the only source of local news, weather alerts, and public safety information,” Hetrick emphasized. “To imagine that disappearing in rural Montana or during a wildfire in California—it’s a devastating thought.”
Hetrick also addressed a common public misconception: “We are not NPR. We are not PBS. WITF is a community-owned, nonprofit public media station. We buy programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, but we also create and produce our own—like The Spark—to reflect and serve our local community.”
WITF has grown beyond broadcasting. In recent years, it has become a major player in education and local journalism. “Just this year, our Pennon & Education team has reached over 8,400 teachers, 6,200 students, and worked with 321 school districts in 45 counties,” said Hetrick. “Two years ago, we acquired LNP, and we are now one of the few nonprofit journalism outlets operating at scale in Pennsylvania.”
The funding cut leaves many community services vulnerable. From children’s summer camps to educational outreach programs, the organization is facing tough decisions.
“We’re going to prioritize local programming,” said Hetrick. “Things like The Spark and our education programs—we want to continue to invest in them. But costs are going up. The cost of acquiring Morning Edition, for example, may increase as fewer stations can share the load.”
The full impact of the funding loss is still being assessed. But Hetrick expressed cautious optimism about the support WITF has already received. “The community has been very generous. They’ve started stepping up and showing that public media matters to them.”
Still, he urged listeners to stay engaged. “We need more support,” he said. “Public media is as essential as utilities like water. It keeps people informed, connected, and heard.”
