This initial round of funding targets the stations most severely impacted by the recent elimination of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding.

Press Forward Minnesota, a collaborative initiative supporting local news and information across the state, is awarding more than half a million dollars in emergency grants to five public media stations through its Save the Signal Minnesota Fund.

The grants provide immediate relief as local stations face the loss of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)  funding, which has created an estimated annual shortfall of more than $17 million for 16 public media stations in Minnesota.

For many stations, the CPB cuts account for between 5% and 50% of their operating budgets, putting local reporting, emergency communications, and essential services at risk.

In response to this funding crisis, Press Forward Minnesota launched the Save the Signal Minnesota Fund, a pooled philanthropic effort designed to stabilize public media, protect core services, and support stations as they plan for long-term sustainability.

The application for Save the Signal was an invitation-only process. Grant amounts were distributed based on the scale of federal funding loss, with priority given to stations facing the greatest impact and those serving communities with limited access to other local media. Rural and tribal stations, which are disproportionately affected by the federal cuts, received particular focus. Sustainability and transformation efforts of stations were also taken into consideration for funding.

Save the Signal Grantees

• KKWE Niijii Radio on the White Earth Reservation – an Indigenous-led public radio station serving the White Earth Nation and neighboring communities, Niijii Radio provides culturally grounded news, educational programs, Ojibwe language segments, music, and community discussions that reflect and uplift Native perspectives often absent from mainstream media. “This support from Press Forward represents a meaningful investment in our young people and in the future of community centered journalism,” said Margaret E. Rousu, General Manager of KKWE Niijii Radio. “By training emerging journalists to contribute to KKWE, we are strengthening public media as a trusted voice while ensuring our community’s stories are told with integrity, cultural understanding, and lived experience.”
• Lakeland PBS in Bemidji and Brainerd (KAWE) – the only locally produced and broadcast televised news serving the north central region of Minnesota reaching over reach approximately 445,000 people across 7,500 square miles reaching south to Little Falls, north to the Canadian border, west to Fosston, and east to Bovey. Within this coverage area are the Red Lake and Leech Lake Tribal Communities and significant portions of the White Earth and Mille Lacs Tribal Communities. This support from Save the Signal Minnesota will help Lakeland PBS continue core services and steady our path forward,” said Jeff Hanks, President and CEO of Lakeland PBS. “It allows us to keep delivering trusted local news and engagement that reflects the unique needs of our region while we work toward long term sustainability.”
• KOJB The Eagle on the Leech Lake Reservation – an Indigenous-led public radio station working to enhance the history, language, and traditional way of the Anishinabe; providing local native media and noncommercial programming; while providing media access for the Leech Lake Reservation. “This additional revenue will allow the station to continue producing content for the Leech Lake area and surrounding communities,” said Chris Bedeau, General Manager of KOJB. Without it, it would have been very difficult to keep some of KOJB’s programming available for our listeners.”
• PBS North in Duluth (WDSE) – PBS North serves one of the largest and most diverse public media regions in Minnesota, spanning 6 northern Minnesota counties, and parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada. The service footprint includes rural communities, urban neighborhoods, and 8 tribal nations, representing nearly 19,000 Indigenous residents. “This support from Press Forward Minnesota is a vital investment in our ability to keep our community informed and connected,” said Patricia Mester, President and General Manager of the Duluth Superior Area Educational Television Corporation.
• Pioneer PBS in Granite Falls (KWCM) – Pioneer PBS covers 45 counties across western and southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota and northern Iowa serving primarily rural/agricultural and small towns. The coverage area also includes 3 Dakota and Ojibwe reservations. Pioneer PBS offers 6 channels including: First Nations Network, Create, World and PBS Kids. “In a fiscal year in which we saw the loss of a third of our annual budget to the sudden rescission of already appropriated federal funding, these funds are a lifeline,” said Shari Lamke, President and General Manager of Pioneer PBS. “As the only television station serving this region, we are able to continue to bring the world to our region and lift the voices of this region to the world. It also buys us breathing room to work through long-term plans for sustainability.”