As the Trump administration’s plan to cut federal funding to public radio and television appears poised to come to fruition, local public media outlets like The Public’s Radio & Rhode Island PBS are assessing next steps. Congress this week approved a plan to claw back $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, sending it […]
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Pending Senate vote could eliminate federal funding for local public media
Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure to rescind already-approved funds for public media across the country. For the Public’s Radio & Rhode Island PBS, that would mean losing about 10% of our budget. The Senate hasn’t yet approved the rescissions package, but if they do, it would threaten our ability […]
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Impending funding cuts will affect public media in Rhode Island
On Tuesday, the Trump administration formally asked Congress to take back the money it had set aside for all public broadcasters for the next two years. This action, known as a “recission request” has to be approved by a majority in the U.S. House and Senate in the next 45 days in order for it to become law. If it passes both chambers, it would have an effect on the budget of The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS. Our political reporter, Ian Donnis spoke with our CEO Pam Johnston about what this could mean.
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A new name for public media in Rhode Island: Ocean State Media
The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS merged in May 2024 and now plan to unify under a new name this fall. The Public’s Radio political reporter Ian Donnis spoke about the name change with our CEO, Pam Johnston.
Posted inArts And Culture, Local, Media
‘It’s bigger than me’: 2025 class of RI broadcasting Hall of Fame makes history
Two members of the 2025 class of the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame are making history this year: Tony Mendez is the first Latino inductee, and Hilario is the first Filipino inductee. Hilario is a news anchor at Channel 10 WJAR, and Mendez is the CEO of Spanish-language radio station Poder. They […]
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Our CEO Pam Johnston on what’s next for The Public’s Radio & Rhode Island PBS
The Public’s Radio is currently in the process of reimagining our brand in a way that better reflects our recent merger with Rhode Island PBS. Our mission is to serve the listeners of Rhode Island and the south coast of Massachusetts. That’s not changing. But our name will be different, and we’d like you to […]
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GBH, Frontline veteran named CEO for public media in RI
Veteran multimedia journalism leader Pam Johnston is set to take the helm of the recently merged public broadcasters Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio. In an interview on Wednesday, Johnston says she reacted with tears of joy on learning of her selection as president and CEO. “This is truly a dream job, a dream […]
