Round Up: “Big Bird is Homeless”

“Big Bird is Homeless”
February 4, 2025

It seems like every year we run the flag up the pole to reach out to our lawmakers and protect public media. As of December 2024 HBO Max, who had been airing Sesame Street, kicked the program to the curb (only playing older episodes through 2027) to focus on more adult content. What does that even mean?

Big Bird and his colleagues have been the unofficial spokespuppets for Public Media for years. “Save Big Bird” can only work for so long, right? And now with the dismantling of so many structural programs at the Federal level, I am personally concerned about how all this might affect KWMR down the road.

KWMR receives funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As I understand the program, our Federal elected officials vote to allocate a certain amount of Federal monies to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (a private nonprofit charged with handling these funds). This funding is used for several things, including funding stations like KWMR. It amounts to about 25% of our budget.

These funds also support content providers like PRX, as well as support NPR, provide some support for the National Federation for Public Broadcasting and support PBS Television. It’s not a lot of money in the big picture, but it means a lot to a huge number of people.

It seems like everywhere we look, folks are sounding the alarm about the big changes happening in DC. If you are reading this newsletter, this one affects you. Protect My Public Media can be explored HERE, and I will keep you all in the loop as we get more clarity about how any future cuts to Federal funding might impact us here in West Marin.

Here at KWMR we are committed to remaining a platform for all voices in West Marin. We care deeply about the communities in our listening area, and this includes those further afield in Sonoma County, and those of you tuning in via the app or the website all over the globe. Thanks for listening. Our volunteer programmers are some of the finest people you will ever come across.

In the meantime, reach out to your friends, make sure everyone is ok. Lend an ear. Listen – this is something that KWMR knows something about. Things we hear can soothe the soul, so whether you are tuning in to your favorite show, or just listening to folks who are figuring out how to navigate our new reality. Listen.

Thank you to everyone who made a contribution to push our End of Year fundraising closer to the goal. We sit solidly $95,127.16. 

I watched a lot of Sesame Street when I was a kid, also Electric Company and Zoom (the TV show). I learned a lot of stuff from those shows, and that was the whole point.