I’m writing to express my concern for something very important to me. I’m hoping that in the long run, it will move our governor and other legislators into making wise decisions in an upcoming vote. It’s my understanding that the governor’s budget includes a 27 percent cut to the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission (APBC). This severe reduction is distinctly disproportionate to the cuts proposed to other programs (7-10 percent). Public radio is very important to me and this proposed cut would mean losing many things that I consider vital to everyday living. Further cuts will deeply affect our station’s ability to provide quality local programming to listeners. News and local programming are vital to my day and I believe such a deep cut would result in a reduction in these critical services. Statewide cuts will weaken public broadcasting across Alaska.
The proposed cuts would have long-lasting effects on our daily awareness of local, state and world news. I depend on it at certain times of the day, knowing it’ll be there providing ferry schedule updates, meeting schedules, weather updates, etc. KHNS is part of the Emergency Alert System that notifies the community on matters of health and safety. The station also broadcasts information on local emergencies.
My community has this one broadcasting entity. We consider it a vital part of our everyday lives. I’m asking those making the critical decisions to move in protecting this critical Alaskan asset that so many depend on for such vital information. Bill Annis