House GOP concerns halt $1.9 million funding bill for rural public TV

A 2025 federal law rescinded Fiscal Year 2027 funds that, in part, were provided for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

That resulted in about a $9 million hit to Minnesota public television stations, funds used for day-to-day operating expenses, program acquisition, developing educational materials and creating and distributing local news and other programs.

For some Greater Minnesota stations, the lost income was 30-40% of their annual budget.

A bill that failed along party lines in the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday would make up about 21% of the lost dollars. It’s not that Republicans are against the bill, rather they have concern about what it could become.

Sponsored by Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth), HF3936 would provide a transitional bridge of almost $1.93 million in one-time funding in Fiscal Year 2027 to five public television entities: KSMQ in Austin and Rochester ($650,000), Lakeland PBS in Bemidji and Brainerd ($475,000), Pioneer PBS in Granite Falls ($350,000), PBS North in Duluth and Hibbing ($250,000) and Prairie Public Television in the Crookston and East Grand Forks area ($200,000).

“We tell the stories of rural Minnesota that no national network is ever going to tell. These requested funds will assist in strategically evolving,” Shari Lamke, president and general manager of Pioneer PBS, told the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee March 12. “… We possess the will to innovate, but we lack the immediate capital to complete this transformation without collapsing under the weight of federal withdrawal.”

She also spoke about the importance of operating in media deserts.

“(We are) the only television station broadcasting in much of western Minnesota. I’ve been visited, called and stopped at the gas station by people without cable or satellite who are desperate for us to remain their lifeline to the world.”

But potential political gamesmanship has paused the proposal. The Senate companion (SF4059) is that body’s omnibus state and local government bill that House Republicans do not support.

“This bill has a tremendous amount of merit, but I don’t want to encumber it with some of the dross that comes over from the Senate,” said Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia).

Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope), a ways and means committee co-chair, is hopeful. “We have broad agreement this is a good bill. … I do hope we can get this figured out.”

Klevorn previously spoke on the importance of these stations, saying it may, for example, be the place where people find out a tornado warning is issued. “This is the heartbeat of a community. … This is money well spent on socialization for the elderly, for mental health for children, and for people to be able to feel an identity and connect with the community.”

Representing Friends of Minnesota Public Television, Bill Strusinski said March 12 that stations are transforming how they operate, including working on ways to share costs, although some employees have been laid off and programs eliminated to cut costs. The federal hit is another hurdle.

“We can’t deal with that overnight. We need an opportunity for a transition plan to work. These funds will be allocated to each one of these stations so they can quit spending some of their reserves because some of them are going to run out of reserves shortly, within the next year,” he said.