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WELL, GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE.
I WANT TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO YOUR CITY HALL.
I AM YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT.
I AM JOINED BY MR. JASON ADAMS, WHO IS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA, AS WELL AS THE GENERAL MANAGER AT KTSU, MR. ERNEST WALKER.
THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING ME NOW, MORE THAN EVER, IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE TRUSTED, RELIABLE MEDIA.
I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT MISINFORMATION TENDS TO SPREAD FASTER THAN THE TRUTH.
THAT'S WHY PUBLIC RADIO IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR SOCIETY.
IT INFORMS, EDUCATES, ENTERTAINS AND UPLIFTS WITHOUT AN AGENDA AND WITH A COMMITMENT TO THE TRUTH.
AS MANY PEOPLE ARE AWARE, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CUT OVER A BILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC MEDIA.
THIS DRASTIC CUT IS DEVASTATING FOR MANY PUBLIC BROADCAST STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON.
TODAY, I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE A CONTRIBUTION OF $50,000 EACH TO TWO PILLARS OF OUR PUBLIC BROADCASTING LANDSCAPE, KTSU FM 90.9, AND HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA.
THESE ARE JUST NOT RADIO STATIONS.
THESE ARE COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS.
KTSU FM HAS BEEN ON THE AIRWAVES FOR OVER 50 YEARS, ROOTED IN THIRD WARD IN BROADCASTING FROM THE CAMPUS OF TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY.
IT HAS BEEN A CULTURAL HUB FOR GENERATIONS, EDUCATING, INFORMING, PLAYING MUSIC, AND CELEBRATING THE VOICES OF BLACK HOUSTON.
HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA, WHICH IS OWNED BY AND LICENSED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, HAS BEEN SERVING THIS CITY FOR NEARLY FOUR DECADES.
FROM BREAKING NEWS TO IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING, THEY'VE REMINDED US OF THE VALUE OF OUR LOCAL VOICE.
AND YET BOTH OF THESE STATIONS HAVE BEEN HIT HARD BY THE RECENT FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS TO PUBLIC BROADCASTING.
I BELIEVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS TO STEP UP WHERE OTHERS HAVE PULLED BACK, AND THIS FUNDING IS AN INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY IN OUR CITY.
SO MANY PEOPLE LISTEN TO THESE STATIONS, INCLUDING SENIORS WHO RELY ON THE NEWS TO STAY CONNECTED, COLLEGE STUDENTS EXPANDING THEIR EDUCATION, WORKERS WHO TUNE IN DURING THEIR MORNING DRIVE, AND SO MANY OTHERS.
I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE TEAMS AT BOTH HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA AND KTSU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT, PROFESSIONALISM, AND SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON.
AS A HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, I AM PROUD TO PRESENT THESE CHECKS AS A COMMITMENT TO THE VALUE OF TRUTH, ACCESS AND COMMUNITY.
AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DO THE SAME BY SUPPORTING THESE IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS TO HELP THEM STAY ON THE AIR.
NOW, I'D LIKE TO BRING UP MR. JASON ADAMS, GENERAL MANAGER OF HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA, AND THEN MR. ERNEST WALKER, GENERAL MANAGER AT KTSU FOR REMARKS.
UH, FIRST I JUST WANT TO, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO COUNCILMAN POLLARD AND HIS TEAM, UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA IS HERE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND THAT, AS HE MENTIONED, UH, INCLUDES GREAT CONTENT.
IT INCLUDES IT, IT INCLUDES FAIR AND BALANCED JOURNALISM.
UH, IT INCLUDES WEATHER ALERTS, UH, THIS MORNING, YOU KNOW, LAST NIGHT'S STORMS, UH, THOSE EAS ALERTS THAT WENT OUT, THOSE CAME THROUGH OUR STATION.
WE ARE THE ONES THAT APPLY THE RIGOR BEHIND THOSE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY AND THIS COMMUNITY ARE ARE SAFE.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE, HERE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
UH, AND WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR, UH, COUNCILMAN POLLARD AND, UH, FOR HIS, UH, RECOGNITION OF OUR, OF OUR, OUR PLACE IN THIS GREAT CITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR RESILIENCY FUND, THIS IS THIS, THESE FUNDS ARE GOING TO GO TOWARDS THE RESILIENCY FUND, UM, WHICH IS SET UP TO HELP BRIDGE THE GAP SO THAT EVEN IN THE FACE OF, OF SEIZED BACK DOLLARS OF RESCISSION, WE CAN STILL THRIVE.
UH, UH, AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE AND EXCITED ABOUT THE, THE CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH KTSU AND WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WELL, I GOTTA SAY THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND COUNCILMAN POLLARD FOR JUST STANDING WITH KTSU, UH, FOR A STATION THAT'S BEEN A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 50 PLUS YEARS SERVING THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA AND THE FUNDS THAT YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING TO.
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CONTINUE THE MISSION THAT WE ON HERE AT KTSU TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY OVER AND OVER.SO, I WAS, UH, SPEAKING WITH SOME PEOPLE EARLIER TODAY, UH, BEFORE THE PRESS CONFERENCE STARTED, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS EVEN CAME ABOUT.
AND, UM, MY CHIEF OF STAFF, PAUL YOUNG AND I, WERE DISCUSSING ONE DAY, JUST SOME OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS THAT WE'RE SEEING FROM WASHINGTON.
AND WE NOTICED THAT, UH, PUBLIC BROADCASTING WAS A PART OF SOME OF THESE, THESE FUNDING CUTS, AND WE THOUGHT THAT THAT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE LAST PLACES, UH, THAT WE SHOULD BE FUNDING.
WELL, WE SHOULD BE HAVING FUNDING CUTS.
UM, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PUBLIC MEDIA, IT'S JUST THAT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S MEDIA FOR THE PUBLIC AND IT'S SHOULD BE A TRUSTED SOURCE FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION, NOT BIASED, UM, BUT JUST VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD INFORMATION SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE THEIR OWN INFORMED DECISIONS.
WE KNOW IN THIS 24 HOUR NEWS CYCLE, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN POLITICS IS INVOLVED, UH, CERTAIN CHANNELS HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDAS AND THEIR OWN MOTIVES, RIGHT? AND, UH, WE RELY ON PUBLIC MEDIA JUST TO GIVE IT TO US STRAIGHT.
AND WITHOUT THAT, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD NOT HAVE, UH, ACCESS, UH, TO THIS CRITICAL INFORMATION.
WE ALL KNOW KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND THE, THE, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GAIN AND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE, UH, FROM PUBLIC MEDIA IS, IS JUST SO CRITICAL.
AND SO, UM, THESE TWO, UH, STATIONS HAVE BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND PEOPLE RELY ON THEIR INFORMATION.
PEOPLE RELY ON THESE STATIONS, UH, NOT JUST FOR ENTERTAINMENT, UH, NOT ONLY JUST FOR EDUCATION, BUT DURING EMERGENCIES AS WELL.
AND SO THIS IS OUR WAY AS A, AS A DISTRICT OFFICE, UH, TO DO OUR SMALL PART, UH, TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND UPLIFT THESE STATIONS, UH, SUPPORT PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND ENSURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN, UH, TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS, UH, TO DO THE SAME.
AND SO, UH, I WILL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS IF THE MEDIA HAS ANY, UM, GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO GET THIS DONE? SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED PRETTY QUICKLY? YEAH, SO WE ALL KNOW THAT FUNDING AND GOVERNMENT SOMETIMES CAN BE VERY SLOW.
UM, BUT, UH, IN THIS INSTANCE, UH, MY STAFF AND I DISCUSSED THIS A FEW MONTHS AGO.
UM, WE HAD TO GO, UH, TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND SEE IF THESE FUNDS WERE GONNA BE ELIGIBLE, UH, FOR THIS PURPOSE.
UH, THEY WENT THROUGH A LEGAL REVIEW, UH, AND CAME BACK AND WAS APPROVED.
AND SO, UH, ONLY A FEW MONTHS DID IT TAKE FOR US TO KIND OF HAVE THE IDEA AND THEN BE ON THIS STAGE TODAY.
WHAT, WHAT WERE THE ORIGINAL FUNDS THAT WERE GIVEN BY, UH, BY THE GOVERNMENT AND HOW MUCH WAS TAKEN AWAY? SO, UM, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT ABOUT $1.1 BILLION AND, UH, FEDERAL FUNDING HAS BEEN CUT NATIONALLY, UH, FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING.
AND THAT'S THROUGH THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
AND A LOT OF THAT FLOWS DOWN TO LOCAL AFFILIATES OF, OF, OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING.
AND SO EACH STATION, UH, FEELS A DIFFERENT HIT, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS, UH, WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE AS MANY, UM, SPONSORS AND, AND, AND DOLLARS FROM THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY.
UH, BUT THESE TWO STATIONS RELY ON PUBLIC DOLLARS AND, UH, THE MORE DOLLARS THAT THEY GET FROM THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS FROM SPONSORSHIPS, THE MORE PROGRAMMING THAT THEY CAN PUT FORWARD.
COULD EITHER OF YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE LOST IN TERMS OF FUNDING? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
UH, SO AT, AT HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA, OUR, UH, ANNUAL APPROPRIATION IS, UH, APPROXIMATELY $2.2 MILLION A YEAR.
THAT'S ABOUT 10% OF OUR BUDGET.
AND FOR KTSU, IT IS ROUGHLY ABOUT 20 TO 25% OF OUR ANNUAL BUDGET AS WELL.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF NUMBERS LOSS? UH, THAT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT 200 TO $250,000 A YEAR.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE DOLLARS, UH, WILL GO A LONG WAYS.
UM, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO, FOR ONE, GET MONEY OUT OF GOVERNMENT.
AND SO WHEN MONEY IS BEING PULLED BACK, YOU HAVE TO RELY ON OTHER STREAMS, UH, TO COME IN.
AND SO BOTH THESE STATIONS DO A GOOD JOB OF ALWAYS BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, PROMOTING THE STATIONS, BEING ABLE TO GET THESE PRIVATE DOLLARS.
BUT AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WHEN WE SEE THE IMPACT ON OUR, UH, ON OUR LOCAL CITIZENS WHEN IT COMES TO RECEIVING INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC MEDIA, UH, WE THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO USE TAX DOLLARS, UH, FOR THEM TO GET BANGED FOR THEIR BUCK, TO ENSURE THAT THESE STATIONS ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE THE PROGRAMMING AND
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THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO, UH, SUSTAIN.ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, SO WE'RE GONNA GET DOWN TO THE FUN PART NOW,
UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE THIS PODIUM AND THEN WE ARE GOING TO DO THE CHECK PRESENTATIONS.