WLCH Radio Centro is in the former General Cigar building on South Lime Street in Lancaster city Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Blaine Shahan / LNP | LancasterOnline
Bilingual ‘Radio Centro’ loses one-third of its budget from federal broadcasting cuts
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Jaxon White/WITF
Blaine Shahan / LNP | LancasterOnline
WLCH Radio Centro is in the former General Cigar building on South Lime Street in Lancaster city Thursday, April 6, 2023.
The only English- and Spanish-bilingual public radio station in Lancaster and York counties is expected to cut programming next year in the wake of Congress’ vote last month to rescind public broadcasting funds.
WLCH Radio Centro, owned by the Spanish American Civic Association, hosts Spanish-language programs about breaking news of the day, broad public policy issues and local emergency alerts. Its staff also hosts weekly educational and cultural shows spanning topics like parenting, financial literacy and health.
The station lost $140,000 in funding, or roughly one-third of its $450,000 annual budget, as a result of the cancellation of federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to federal grant disclosures and SACA’s 2023 nonprofit transparency form.
“The impact is going to be big,” said Claudia Galdamez, vice-president of broadcasting at Radio Centro.
Staff and programming will not be reduced in the immediate future, Galdamez said. The station has funds stashed away for such a financial emergency that can offset the federal funds for the remainder of this year.
But that could change once the current fiscal year ends next June. If the organization cannot raise funds to backfill the lost federal grants, Galdamez said station organizers will need to reevaluate their program offerings — 85% of which are in Spanish — to reduce costs.
There are more than 630,000 Pennsylvanians who speak Spanish at home, according to census data published in June. That’s more than any other language, except English.
Radio Centro has 15 volunteers who produce the majority of its content, according to SACA’s nonprofit paperwork. Those documents say the station has an average of 15,000 people connected to its broadcast every 15 minutes.
The station launched on 91.3 FM Lancaster in 1987 and remains one of just 33 Latino-owned and operated public radio stations nationwide. In 2005, Radio Centro expanded to York County after it acquired 100.3 FM. Last year, it grew again by purchasing 107.1 FM in York County for $350,000.
That growth led organizers to expect a boost in federal broadcasting funds next year, according to SACA CEO Jose Lopez.
“But obviously that’s not the case,” he said. “And it’s all going away.”
Lopez said SACA will not close the station: “If we were to go away, it would create a significant void.”
Audiences may notice fewer programs being available next year, Lopez said. He noted that he and other organizers are working to find new revenue streams to support the station.
Celso Mesias worked at Radio Centro for 15 years before he was elected as a Democrat to the Manheim Township Board of Commissioners in 2023.
As host of “Usted y su Familia,” Mesias said he was a “direct witness” to how important Radio Centro is to uplifting the voices of Hispanic and Latino community members in much of south central Pennsylvania who can only speak Spanish.
Mesias said he’s angered that the cuts to public broadcasting will have a widespread “negative impact, not to the radio, not to some people — it’s to the whole community.”
Broader push
Radio Centro is not alone. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which announced it would begin closing its doors last week, lost about $1.1 billion in funding that it disbursed to local member stations of the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio.
WITF, covering 19 counties in south-central Pennsylvania, lost $1.3 million, or 8%, of its annual budget due to the rescission vote, which was pushed by President Donald Trump and was supported by all but one of the state’s Republican members of Congress.
Stations located in less-densely populated areas, where audiences often lack many other alternative news sources, will be hit hardest by the lack of federal funding, public broadcasting supporters say.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, whose 11th Congressional District covers Lancaster and a southern portion of York, supported the cuts to public broadcasting. In a statement, the Republican cited the country’s need to address its $37 trillion debt and rising interest costs.
“I appreciate the work that WLCH does in our community and have enjoyed joining their program for discussions on issues facing our nation,” Smucker said. “However, supporting media organizations is not a core function of government.”
Smucker also said he’s “confident our community will continue to support this organization which does important work.”
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