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- By Chez Oxendine
- Economic Development
In early April, Desiree Hagen took over as acting general manager of Alaska-based KOTZ Radio — a station that nearly shut down months earlier after losing a major share of its funding.
The near-closure followed Congress’ decision last fall to claw back $1.1 billion from the now-defunct Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which served as a primary funding source for rural and Native-serving radio stations.
The CPB distributed money to 59 Native-serving stations in 20 states, according to Native Public Media (NPM). For stations like KOTZ, those grants typically covered 30% to 50% of operating costs. The corporation shut down in January following congressional rescissions in July last year.
Now, a fraction of that money has been trickling back into Native-serving radio stations. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is distributing $10.3 million in one-time grants, funded through unexpended salary allocations, with a proposed $11 million in follow-on funding included in President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request.
The funding reaches only a portion of the Native-serving stations. According to Native Public Media, the BIA grants target just 39 stations — leaving others without needed operating capital and offering only limited relief for recipients. As of April 14, grants have been awarded to 38 of those stations per a webinar hosted by NPM.
Industry leaders say the funding doesn’t replace the system that sustained stations serving communities with limited broadband or local news sources. The BIA allocations also came with a raft of strict reporting requirements, restrictions on funding use and no promise of follow-up funding.
“A radio in some places is all you get — and in weather like we have up here in the Arctic Circle, that can be life or death,” Hagen said. “We’re saving lives. Without it, it'd be a lot more difficult to communicate safety information.”
KOTZ Radio is a rural station serving around 10 communities, with populations ranging from 100 to 900 people, as well as subsistence camps that lie entirely outside of village boundaries. Most listeners are Alaska Native, and the station often serves as the primary source of emergency alerts and local news.
A reworked budget and BIA grant have kept the station operating through the summer, but at a cost. Hagen said the job now includes 60-hour weeks focused largely on securing new funding.
“I know at this point we don’t intend to close by summer, but we’re spread pretty thin,” Hagen said.
At KILI Radio in South Dakota, a similar scene is playing out. A $232,000 grant from PBS helped kickstart a fundraising campaign to support operations and a new facility, according to board treasurer Richard Zephier.
That was three months ago. In each month since, KILI has raised around $35,000 in donations and subscriptions, Zephier told Tribal Business News. The cost of the new facility wasn’t disclosed, but Zephier described the fundraising effort as successful, and indicative of the reservation’s need for what he called “the Voice of the Lakota.”
“For some people, we’re it,” Zephier said. “We’re their voice, and the voice of the tribe that reaches out to them.”
Like KOTZ, KILI fills gaps left by limited broadband access and economic constraints, delivering tribal council coverage, community updates and public safety information.
The station also broadcasts in Lakota, reinforcing its role in language preservation — a common part Native radio stations play, per a report by Northern Arizona University.
Even with local support, station leaders say current funding models are not sustainable. That’s the story for most of the 59 Native-led or Native-serving radio stations across the country.
Policymakers have begun to respond, but no long-term solution has emerged. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said an amendment to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would redirect some recovered foreign aid funding toward Native-serving stations — a proposal that helped shape the current BIA allocation.
“I don't think that it provides a lot of security to be honest,” Hagen said. “There’s a lot of unknowns.”
In the absence of a federal funding system, tribes, states and nonprofits are stepping in to fill gaps. In some cases, states like New Mexico have issued grants to keep stations on reservations going. Native Public Media started two funds — the Tribal Media Endowment Fund and the Tribal Station Fund — to support operations.
Even with those efforts, no long-term funding path has emerged.
Native Public Media CEO Loris Taylor said the loss of CPB is forcing the public radio sector to “reimagine” itself.
“We now have a chance to expand alliances with tribal governments, philanthropic institutions, tech innovators, and grassroots movements,” Taylor said. “Across Indian Country and other underserved areas, we’ve never waited for permission to tell our stories…That spirit will carry us now.”
For now, stations like KOTZ are operating on short-term funding while searching for something more durable. Hagen said she’s working day to day to keep the station on the air as long as the money holds.
Alaska Natives deserve access to news and cultural information, she said, as well as ways to share their stories and stay connected with their communities.
“This whole thing is putting a strain on our ability to provide that,” Hagen said. “But we’re going to fight for it.”
