November 3, 2025
With deepest gratitude, I write to you today to share an important update. Thanks to your extraordinary support, we have closed this year’s $5 million budget gap created when Congress ended federal funding.
That success is a testament to you, and a bold declaration of support for the future of free and fair journalism for all.
When Congress voted to end federal funding in July, public media faced an unprecedented crisis. For OPB, the cuts eliminated about nine percent of our annual budget. Our situation was daunting.
But as a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, I am quickly learning that nothing can thwart the resilience of the communities we serve. Thousands of people joined OPB as members for the first time or increased their sustaining contributions.
Of course, this is only our first milestone as we forge a new chapter. We have challenging work ahead of us. But because of you, we are entering this era with determination and optimism. Nearly 80% of our new revenue to make up the federal funding loss came through monthly sustaining contributions, giving us a start on closing future gaps in the years to come.
We are moving forward with renewed commitment to serve everyone across Oregon and Southwest Washington: to expand our journalism service, reach audiences wherever they are, and create meaningful in-person connections with one another.
What’s next: partnerships across public media
We know that success in this new era will require fresh collaboration and innovation. We’re excited about those opportunities to better serve you, and I wanted to share some examples.
OPB is a proud member of the Northwest News Network, a group of public media organizations dedicated to serving communities across the Pacific Northwest. With colleagues such as Jefferson Public Radio in Ashland, KLCC in Eugene, and Northwest Public Broadcasting in eastern Washington, we share reporting with audiences across a huge range of places.
Adia White, our coordinating editor, is based at OPB and works with the participating organizations to strengthen regional reporting at a time when newspapers have suffered severe losses. While our local media ecosystem is fragile, this thriving network is one way we’re making more great reporting available to more people—and not hidden behind a paywall.
We’re also collaborating more closely than ever before with colleagues across public media. In late October, OPB hosted a conference of leaders from the largest PBS stations across the country. I came away inspired by all the ideas my colleagues are exploring.
We’re asking big questions: How can we support one another to ensure the long-term success of public media? How can we share services and stories more easily and effectively? And how can we innovate in video streaming to connect new audiences with factual, deeply reported programs?
These are not easy times, but we are building a bright future for independent, community-supported media. Now, more than ever, our future is possible because of you.
— Rachel Smolkin, President and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting