"In a typical year, Penn State allocates $3.4 million to the station. But pressures on the university budget from inflation, enrollment challenges and state funding reductions pushed administrators to re-evaluate the station's funding model. In June, PSU cut WPSU funding by $800,000, or about 9 percent of the station's budget, resulting in some layoffs, news director Emily Reddy told Inside Higher Ed in August."
"In July, Congress rescinded $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes dollars to NPR, PBS and their member stations. More than half of NPR's 1,000 member stations are affiliated with a college or university. The CPB cuts slashed WPSU's revenue by a further $1.3 million. Penn State was considering a transfer of ownership to WHYY, a Philadelphia-based public station."
Penn State will close its public broadcasting station WPSU in June 2026 due to financial challenges. WPSU is an NPR and PBS affiliate serving central Pennsylvania and reaches 515,000 TV households and 450,000 FM listeners. Funding comes from institutional, federal, and private sources; Penn State typically allocates $3.4 million annually but cut $800,000 in June, about 9 percent of the station budget, prompting layoffs. In July, Congress rescinded $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, reducing WPSU revenue by $1.3 million. A proposed transfer to WHYY was rejected because it offered no staff-retention guarantees; the station employs 44 full-time staff and expects further layoffs.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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