Public media is struggling under Trump. L.A.’s KCRW may have found the way forward

It was a textbook addition of insult to injury. When President Trump signed an executive order last May taking federal funds away from public broadcasters, he dubbed the document: “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media.” Apparently, the financial lifeblood of public radio and TV wasn’t merely wasteful; it was wasteful because of its recipients’ malicious intent. Later that summer, Congress made the order a reality—or at least the “ending subsidization” part, if not the maliciousness. The ⁠Rescissions Act of 2025 clawed back $1.1 billion (with a “b”) in funds already allocated for the ⁠Corporation for Public Broadcasting. With its federal financial support evaporating, the CPB soon announced it was winding down operations. Sure enough, the year that followed has seen layoffs and programming cuts across the board in public media. While these losses have been harsh for NPR and PBS, the crisis also presents an opportunity for public media to remind people what it can do and why it still matters. KCRW in Los Angeles, an NPR member station, is staring down the same struggles as the entire industry—it lost $1.3 million in federal funds last year—but it’s also peering past them. By revitalizing its programming and the way listeners access it, deepening the relationship between its shows and their fans, and putting on more live events like the Summer Nights festival running throughout this month, KCRW may be building a replicable blueprint for public media to thrive in volatile times. Here’s how KCRW has fared since last year’s government intervention: Listenership across linear, streaming and podcasts has grown exponentially, with millions of podcast downloads bringing in fans from well beyond L.A.; the financial pledge goal for this year is already well within reach; and the company is on track to finish 2026 with ad revenue and off-radio sponsorship (corporate support tied to nonbroadcast platforms) growing to more than 30% of overall spons