MADISON (AP) - Leaders of Wisconsin's public broadcasting system say budget cuts proposed by Gov. Scott Walker could put some shows on the chopping block.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports Walker's 2015-17 spending plan includes a $2.5 million cut in state funding each year for the Educational Communications Board.
The spending plan would also cut $150 million a year from the University of Wisconsin System, which runs public TV and radio networks with the board.
The board spends about $19 million a year, and buys national programming for some stations and operates infrastructure for much of the network outside Madison.
Gene Purcell, executive director of the board, said the cuts would inflict a "serious wound" on public broadcasting in Wisconsin.
A spokeswoman for Walker says the governor's office estimates the board would be able to make up for cuts through grants, gifts and private donations. That would be difficult, Purcell said, with the budget set to take effect July 1.
The newspaper reports it's not clear how much funding cuts for the UW System would affect public broadcasters. But UW-Extension's director of broadcast and media innovations Malcolm Brett said it would almost certainly trickle down.
Brett said broadcasters would have to evaluate which shows to keep, but declined to name any specific programs. He said they'd continue to pay for PBS and NPR, with Purcell calling the national programming "central to what we provide."
Some states have moved to restore funds for public broadcasting after they were cut during the recession, according to National Educational Telecommunications Association executive director Skip Hinton. They include Indiana and Florida, which also have Republican governors.
"There is no trend toward cutting," Hinton said.
About 40 percent of the board's funding comes from the state, and Walker's budget would knock that down to 27 percent.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports Walker's 2015-17 spending plan includes a $2.5 million cut in state funding each year for the Educational Communications Board.
The spending plan would also cut $150 million a year from the University of Wisconsin System, which runs public TV and radio networks with the board.
The board spends about $19 million a year, and buys national programming for some stations and operates infrastructure for much of the network outside Madison.
Gene Purcell, executive director of the board, said the cuts would inflict a "serious wound" on public broadcasting in Wisconsin.
A spokeswoman for Walker says the governor's office estimates the board would be able to make up for cuts through grants, gifts and private donations. That would be difficult, Purcell said, with the budget set to take effect July 1.
The newspaper reports it's not clear how much funding cuts for the UW System would affect public broadcasters. But UW-Extension's director of broadcast and media innovations Malcolm Brett said it would almost certainly trickle down.
Brett said broadcasters would have to evaluate which shows to keep, but declined to name any specific programs. He said they'd continue to pay for PBS and NPR, with Purcell calling the national programming "central to what we provide."
Some states have moved to restore funds for public broadcasting after they were cut during the recession, according to National Educational Telecommunications Association executive director Skip Hinton. They include Indiana and Florida, which also have Republican governors.
"There is no trend toward cutting," Hinton said.
About 40 percent of the board's funding comes from the state, and Walker's budget would knock that down to 27 percent.