When people think about what connects Alaska’s far-flung communities and our limited road access, the first answers are often logistical: Bush planes, ferries, snowmachines.

But there’s another important way Alaskans stay connected, and it’s under threat: Our public media stations.

Alaska’s public media system is in crisis. The administration, with the support of Congress, eliminated a crucial stream of federal funding that was administered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, which recognized Alaska’s unique geographic challenges and relied heavily on local stations to fill critical gaps in communication infrastructure. Alaska, once receiving 28% of CPB’s system support funding, has lost its standing.

That loss now threatens to dismantle public media across our state.

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