Look for our new, weekly "Inside MTPR" post about what’s going on at Montana Public Radio. Whether it’s a special program you might enjoy, a feature by or about one of our dedicated staff, or just a peek behind the curtain at MTPR, we want to share these stories with you.
This week, I’m going to focus on the efforts to secure federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Thanks to the many citizens of Montana and the nation that reached out to their representatives in Congress, last week, the full House Appropriations Committee approved earlier subcommittee recommendations to fully fund public broadcasting for fiscal year 2018. And while that’s great news; the process is not over, as the bill must now go to the full House before being taken up by the Senate.
Dedicated listeners across the country have made the difference. Hundreds of Montanans like you have sent letters or emails to senators Tester and Daines as well as Congressman Zinke to let them know that you support MTPR and find it worthy of continued federal financial support. You have taken action by signing up for Protect My Public Media alerts and joined in the conversation. The effort for CPB funding will continue, and MTPR will continue to need YOU to make your voice heard in the coming months.
I was particularly heartened by this statement Congressman Tom Cole made during a March hearing in the appropriations subcommittee he chairs. "If you look over a 50-year history (of CPB), it is a pretty impressive record of enriching the content of public dialog, opening doors to communities that don't often have these kind of opportunities and living within what is by any measure at the federal level a comparatively modest budget, which you manage to leverage and multiply many times over," Rep. Cole, R-Oklahoma, said.
Rep. Cole is right on the mark. MTPR creates that dialog and access every day and serves our vast state with exceptional programs. The strong financial support from MTPR listeners like you is how we leverage and multiply our CPB dollars here in Montana.
Thanks for championing the need for the excellent, unbiased national and Montana news coverage. Thanks for your enthusiasm for hand-picked music, the programs that enlighten and educate and the wide variety of Montana programs that you treasure on MTPR. Thank you again for standing up for YOUR public radio station.
