California public media leaders say loss of federal funding puts local news at risk

Residents of rural communities throughout California get news, emergency alerts and cultural programs on the radio. At 16 stations, Radio Bilinguë broadcasts in English, Spanish and indigenous Mexican languages.

“Radio Bilinguë is usually the only reliable source in their languages for local news, emergency alerts, educational programing, civic information and, of course, our daily programs celebrating Latino arts and culture,” said co-executive director José Martínez-Saldaña.

When Congress , Radio Bilinguë lost $300,000 in annual funding. They were also expecting more than $1 million in FEMA funds to repair their disaster alert system.

“This is a serious setback,” Martínez-Saldaña said. “Not just for us, but for the rural and low income communities we serve every day.”

Martínez-Saldañ