They didn’t just go after NPR and PBS. They’re coming for our culture, our communities, and the Black-owned media outlets that have served as our voice for generations.
In a sweeping move earlier this month, Congress approved a staggering $1.1 billion in cuts to public broadcasting funds over the next two years. Quietly tucked inside a broader federal rescissions package, this decision is set to decimate public media funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). But behind the headlines, the real casualties will be Black-owned radio stations — especially those tied to HBCUs, like Houston’s beloved KTSU 90.9 FM, located on the campus of Texas Southern University.
Last year alone, KTSU received $203,000 from CPB, a crucial grant that helped power its music, educational programming, and local news — all tailored for Black audiences. The funding made up a significant portion of the station’s roughly $2 million operating budget. Without it, the future of one of Houston’s longest-standing Black cultural institutions is at risk.
“This will definitely affect our operating budget,” said KTSU General Manager Ernest Walker. “We already run a very lean operation. Any major loss in funding threatens not only jobs but the community services we provide.”
KTSU isn’t just another station on the dial. For more than 50 years, it’s been the heartbeat of Houston’s Third Ward, offering jazz, gospel, blues, and community reporting not found anywhere else. It’s one of just 14 HBCU-affiliated public radio stations nationwide that rely on CPB support — and now all of them are facing an uncertain future.
Public media has long filled a gap that commercial radio doesn’t touch: culturally relevant, community-based content that speaks directly to Black experiences. And with most of these stations already operating on “shoestring budgets,” these cuts aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet — they could mean silencing entire communities.
KTSU’s potential loss echoes across Texas. Houston Public Media (KUHF), Marfa Public Radio, and KEDT in Corpus Christi — which will lose 39% of its budget — are all bracing for the same fallout. But for Black stations like KTSU, where the fight has always been about visibility, equity, and representation, the stakes feel even higher.
What makes this more alarming is the silence surrounding it. There’s been no national outcry, no primetime debates — just a quiet dismantling of the infrastructure that supports independent Black media. It’s a reminder that the battle for Black voices is not just fought in voting booths or boardrooms — it’s happening on the airwaves, too.
And make no mistake: if these stations go silent, it’s not just our music that we lose. It’s our news. Our history. Our storytellers. Our truth.
The clock is ticking, and unless communities rally, KTSU — and stations like it — could fade into static.
