Nearly 1,300 WUSF supporters donated in the days after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Donors gave more than $245,000 in new money for WUSF 89.7, the classical WSMR station, and several of its original and local on-demand products. Many gifts were monthly donations to launch a “Resilience Fund.” It's designed to provide long-term support that annual money from CPB provided.
This is the largest single surge in donations in the 62-year history of WUSF and its all-classical music station WSMR. General Manager JoAnn Urofsky said she is grateful so many listeners wanted to back WUSF’s mission focused on providing news, public safety information, classical music and the arts.
“Unlike commercial broadcasting, we are not beholden to stockholders or corporate owners,” Urofsky said in a statement. “We exist solely to serve the residents of Florida.”
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Last month, Congress voted to rescind funding for CPB, which supported hundreds of nonprofit, non-partisan public broadcasters for five-plus decades. WUSF lost $700,000 as a result. Another $100,000 for WUSF’s operations was eliminated in June from the state budget.
Licensed to the University of South Florida, WUSF is a nonprofit organization and provides news and information to the community for free. By law, it also serves as a broadcaster during state emergencies.
Just last year, the WUSF staff was on-air live for more than 30 hours during hurricanes Helene and Milton. Its website, WUSF.org, published more than 500 hurricane-related stories in the immediate days before, during and after the storms.
“This support is especially meaningful as we prepare our team of reporters, staff, systems and equipment to ensure our community has the information they need before during and after this year’s hurricane season,” Urofsky said.
To try and close the gap from the cutbacks, WUSF’s “Resilience Fund” will be part of its ongoing fundraising within the community. It will be dedicated to sustaining the mission of WUSF and WSMR as community assets and community broadcasters.
