Press Room Contact 2011 2010 2009 2008

WSRE Press Room

WSRE Statement in Response to Governor’s Veto of Public Television Appropriation

Supporters of public television are saddened by the unexpected and complete zeroing out of all state funding for public television. The cuts came Thursday as part of $615 million in vetoes by the Governor, of which $4.8 million was eliminated for all public broadcasting.

“We are obviously disappointed in hearing this news, but understand the Governor had difficult choices to make,” states WSRE General Manager Sandy Ray. “While we were expecting a reduction of 30%, to completely have all funding taken away will a have significant impact on the services the station can deliver to our local community. We will survive, but will rely more heavily on donations from individuals, corporate support and grant funding to shore up our budget next fiscal year.”

The station‘s mission is one of education, and the $307,000 in funding that will now be lost will have an impact on what the station is able to deliver. PBS stations serve as the nation’s largest classroom, providing over 60 hours per week of educational programming, free resources for parents and caregivers, and technology to help children learn.