Last week, when the decision to defund public media was handed down, my thoughts turned to Gen. Colin Powell.
You might be asking, 鈥淥f all people, why did you think of Gen. Powell? It鈥檚 not like his name is synonymous with public media.鈥� Well, he did support several major PBS projects like and the annual concert. But Powell鈥檚 closest association was with, of course, the military. He was an Army man who eventually became secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was the first Black person to serve in both of those senior posts. He died in 2021of complications from COVID-19.
I have long admired Colin Powell. I鈥檝e read all of his books and memorized more than a few of his quotes. Early on in my tenure as a public media leader, I hung a framed list of Powell鈥檚 in my office. The first rule on that list? 鈥淚t ain鈥檛 as bad as you think! It will look better in the morning.鈥� Another on that list, 鈥淒on鈥檛 take counsel of your fears or naysayers.鈥�
Both of those rules were helpful to me as I began to process the news last Friday about the rescission of $1.1 billion in federal funding previously appropriated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. This legislation completely defunds federal public media dollars for the first time in its history.
For PBS and NPR stations across the country, this is a time of great concern and uncertainty, as all stations are now faced with the dilemma of how to serve with less financial support. For 蜜桃导航, less support translates into approximately $2.6 million, or just under 10% of our annual operating budget. 鈥淩emain calm and be kind鈥� is another one of Powell鈥檚 leadership rules.
At this writing leaders at 蜜桃导航 are working on the 2026 fiscal year budget plan. Our new fiscal year starts Oct. 1, 2025. Despite the aforementioned funding cuts, our plan is to preserve services at their current levels. 蜜桃导航 remains committed to delivering on its mission, which is to be a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Another Colin Powell leadership rule? 鈥淗ave a vision - be demanding.鈥�
Kevin Martin, president and CEO of 蜜桃导航, said this late last week after the rescission vote.
"What will not change is our unwavering commitment to providing trusted news and information, music, arts and culture, and educational services that our audiences across Northeast Ohio and beyond have relied on for decades. We recognize the uncertainty this development brings, but we also know that our greatest strength lies in our people, our community, and our shared purpose. We will continue to operate with resolve and transparency as we work to build a sustainable path forward for public media.鈥�
What would Powell say today if he were alive and worked with me at 蜜桃导航? Well, being a military man, he鈥檇 likely tell me to get my hair cut. But after that, he would probably share one other leadership rule on his list -- a phrase that more and more of us are saying around here these days.
鈥淚t can be done!鈥�
"The Cut" is featured in 蜜桃导航's weekly newsletter, The Frequency Week in Review. To get The Frequency Week in Review, The Daily Frequency or any of our newsletters, sign up on Ideastream's newsletter subscription page.
