WUTC, NPR’s Chattanooga member station, is relying more on listener donations and business underwriting to make up a 13% cut to its budget after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in grants for public TV and radio stations across the country.
The station, operated by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, airs a combination of local music shows and national news coverage.
JAy Blackman, the vice chancellor of communications and marketing at UTC who oversees the station, said local listeners and businesses will be key in making up the $120,000 grant it received from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in fiscal year 2025.
“The plan is to close the gap with aggressive and strategic membership drives, fundraising and underwriting,” Blackman said in an email. “After that, we will address any further gaps with station reserve funds.”