South Dakota Public Broadcasting is reducing 25% of its workforce due to loss of federal funding. The cuts will impact local productions.
However, fundraising efforts are in the works to recover what was lost.
Programs like In The Moment, South Dakota Focus and education resources from SDPB’s education team are eliminated. Dakota Life will see reduced outputs.
SDPB Executive Director Julie Overgaard said journalism is taking the hit to preserve the remaining budget.
“It was based on not endangering our state funding right now,” Overgaard said.
SDPB’s leadership prioritized keeping open government access to the state legislature and comprehensive coverage of SDHSAA athletic championships and fine arts events — all things state legislators spoke favorably on during a budget fight this session.
The federal funding loss is the result of a Congressional recission package that clawed back previously appropriated funds to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. All three of South Dakota’s Congressional delegation voted to pass the rescission package.
Overgaard said she’s talked to South Dakota’s Congressional members about reallocating federal funding.
“I have talked to the delegation and they’re sorry," she said. "But they’re not going to be our champions on the Hill.”
Friends of SDPB CEO Ryan Howlett echoed similar sentiments.
“Congress walked away from it. It was the first time any of our representatives ever voted against public media that I can recall," Howlett said. "I don’t know why their priorities shifted, but I’m not expecting any future contributions from the federal government.”
Overgaard said this is going to impact the information and journalism the most vulnerable people in the state have access to.
“If we are not able to change the trajectory by raising the money ourselves, I think the impact is devastating for a lot of our rural communities around the state," Overgaard said. "South Dakota has lost a lot of journalists and a lot of journalism for the last few decades, and that trend is not getting better. It’s getting worse.”
She added that she believes the mission of public broadcasting and public media is “critical in these times.”
“Ensuring that South Dakota isn’t a news desert. And that the people who live here have the information, resources, knowledge they need to make good, informed decisions," Overgaard said. "And so as painful as it has been making the decisions about where and what to cut, I also have a lot of faith and a lot of hope that we’re all going to rally together as South Dakotans.”
Overgaard said it’s unfortunate that funding that has been provided for 60 years was taken, but "this isn’t the end.”
“Right now, if I can do anything for the people who work at SDPB, and the people listening who are upset about the decisions we’ve had to make, it’s that I see a bright future for SDPB," she said. "And I see bright futures for our employees, for local news and journalism, for all the important local services we provide. And I have absolute faith in the people of our great state and that they’re going to rally behind us, and we are going to see a brighter day.”
That rallying is coming specifically through a new Friends of SDPB fundraising initiative. Ryan Howlett said it’s called the “Bison Campaign.”
"Actually, our goal is to raise $2 million before Oct. 31, and I’m super pumped that South Dakotans all across the state and across the country have stepped up. And we’ve already raised almost $1.1 million of that," Howlett said. "You know, filling that hole that was created by the federal rescission is no small task, but people value South Dakota Public Broadcasting: the journalism work that we do, the education, the entertainment. They’ve really stepped up and said this is important.”
The current cuts don’t account for the $1.1 million already raised, or any future funds raised to preserve the programs. As funding is secured, SDPB hopes to restore services and retain as many staff as possible.
Howlett said it’s an all-hands-on-deck approach.
“We’re going to announce a six-figure matching gift that you can be a part of too. Yesterday we received a quarter million-dollar commitment. Those donors believe in SDPB. Everybody can’t give that amount, but for those of those who can and have, thank you so much," Howlett said. "If 1% of South Dakotans give, you know, just a monthly gift, that will help us fill the hole. Every gift counts and everything that we can do to backfill this will help save the programs that you rely on each and every day here on SDPB.”
He says as for long-term funding…“This campaign is to stabilize the situation as it is so we can enter the planning process. Without this campaign, there’s no stabilization and it would absolutely devastate the network. So, let’s stabilize and then let’s reset to what is going to be the ‘new normal,’ and nobody likes that phrase but that’s it. You know, without the stabilization that doesn’t happen.”
For more information on the Bison Campaign, visit the SDPB Friends website.
