KWSO in the News

This weekend, a story in the New York Times, featured several public media organizations that are being impacted by the recission of CPB Funding by the federal government.  KWSO is one of the stations highlighted in the story.

KWSO entered into the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Community Service Grant Program (CPB CSG) in 2004.  Funding has supported station operations including some staffing, programming costs, purchase and repair of equipment, engineering and other service contracts, and conversion of KWSO’s analog version of radio to new technology and platforms.

Without funding from CPB (who will wind down operations starting September 30, 2025) KWSO has initially asked for additional funding in 2026, from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, who already fund a significant portion of the station’s operating budget.  Historically KWSO spends about $600,000 annually with 40% of that budget coming from the Tribes, about 40% from CPB and 20% from earned revenue like underwriting and sustaining memberships.  Both those revenue sources are traditional programs for public radio stations.

Thanks to media coverage about the cuts and their impact on KWSO, donations and new memberships are up and so the work has already begun to raise the money needed to help offset the increase Tribal share of the budget.  The goal is to do everything we can to generate our own funding to allow Tribal dollars to go to other community needs.

On the air since September 1986, KWSO’s mission is to provide Warm Springs with quality radio programming that: delivers local news and information; promotes education, cultural knowledge and language preservation; and increases awareness of social, health and safety issues.

KWSO is an affiliate of NPR and Native Voice One.  As part of the National Emergency Alert System, KWSO serves as a critical partner in the dissemination of information to the community in emergency situations.

KWSO is a department within the Health and Human Services Branch of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS).   The Tribes are a federally recognized Indian Tribe located 104 miles south of Portland and 60 miles north of Bend, just off Highway 26. The Reservation consists of 640,000 acres and is home to three (3) tribes, the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute Tribes.

You can read a PDF version of the NY Times article HERE

Individuals can support KWSO by becoming a sustaining member – where you set up an automatic monthly payment for an amount of your choosing. https://kwso.org/support/listener-support/sustainingmembership/  You can also do a one-time donation. https://kwso.org/shop/

Businesses and organizations interested in supporting KWSO through our underwriting program.  https://kwso.org/support/business-support/.  You can reach out to sue.matters@wstribes.org to learn more about options.

A previous article on our website featured links to other media coverage this summer https://kwso.org/2025/08/kwso-the-elimination-of-cpb-federal-public-media-funding/

Long Live Public Media!