ATHENS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio University’s student television and radio station is embarking on nearly $1 million in budget cuts after major losses to federal and state funding.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Parker Kopronica, a senior who produces high school football show Gridiron Glory. “The reason I came to Ohio University was WOUB.”
WOUB Public Media offers hands-on TV, radio and writing opportunities alongside paid employees to more than 150 Ohio University students each year. Over the summer, WOUB leadership had to quickly adjust to $1.75 million in cuts from the station’s budget. Leaders said although they’ve been able to stabilize program funding through next June, they will need to make immediate changes, including layoffs, to adapt.
WOUB’s predicament comes after Congress, upon request of President Donald Trump’s administration, rescinded $1.1 billion in preapproved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Those funds were used to support NPR, PBS and local stations like WOUB.
Ohio’s state legislature also cut funding for WOUB. The biennial budget passed over the summer will reduce WOUB funding by about $250,000 this fiscal year and will reduce it by 27% in the 2027 fiscal year, which starts July 1, 2026.
Across state and federal cuts, WOUB will lose approximately 30% of the station’s total funding. WOUB relies on university-affiliated funding sources for 45% of its operating budget, and donations make up the remaining funds. In a statement, Ohio University said it is evaluating ways to reduce costs in tandem with WOUB to preserve as much programming as they can.
Ohio University ranks among the top journalism schools in the country across multiple college ranking sites, and the school has produced 60 Pulitzer Prize awards to alumni, students and staff. WOUB is among the reasons the school shines, as 80% of WOUB students have media job offers before graduation. Comparably, the communications school averaged a 73.2% job placement rate after graduation between 2018 and 2023, but those stats include jobs in all fields.
“There is stuff that I do take from classes, but the majority of the skills I’ve learned, it’s been because I’ve had hands-on experience at WOUB and it’s something that is an incredible resource,” Andrew Bowlby, a senior and WOUB’s sports director, said.
According to coverage by WOUB reporter David Forester, budget cuts will include some layoffs, which are likely to come in the near future. Details about layoffs are otherwise limited. The cuts may also hit WOUB’s paid summer internship program, which offers college students jobs producing content for the station when students are typically off-campus.
Forester’s reporting said WOUB’s NPR and PBS programming will be spared until next summer, as negotiations allowed them to offer the programs at a lower cost. This means WOUB will need to make more cuts starting July 1.
Both Bowlby and Charlie Ihlenfeld, a senior reporter and anchor, called WOUB “a family” at Ohio University, spanning beyond professional development into personal growth.
Kopronica said the cuts will affect more than student experience. All three students voiced concerns about the largely rural areas of the country WOUB and other PBS or NPR affiliates cover. WOUB offers coverage for 55 counties, and Bowlby said many times he is the only reporter at events.
Forester’s reporting said WOUB is already getting more donations to try and supplement costs. The organization recently launched a campaign asking people to include WOUB in their wills, which is generating some responses. Forester’s reporting also said WOUB will explore regional, state and national funding opportunities through foundations or grants.
“The people that are doing good work here are going to keep doing great work whether or not it’s supported by the federal government,” Ihlenfeld said. “The unfortunate thing is, you can’t say that about every public space. There’s a lot of places out there that don’t have some of the same support that this space can get.”
