Catastrophe for a Kansas TV station
Judy Blackburn finds comfort and joy in front of her television, watching everything from "Antiques Roadshow" to cooking shows.
Many of these programs are on PBS, which the 89-year-old tunes into from her home in the tiny town of Courtland, Kansas.
Now, local broadcasts enjoyed by Americans like Blackburn are at risk after President Donald Trump ushered through legislation that enacts a series of cuts, including $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Paste BN's political reporters pulled long days this week, following every moment as lawmakers rushed to pass the measure by Trump's Friday deadline.
Local stations, which are much more reliant on federal grants than their national counterparts, are expected to bear the brunt of the lost funding. Paste BN's BrieAnna J. Frank captured how the clawback could affect one such station, Smoky Hills PBS, based out of Bunker Hill, Kansas. Federal funding makes up about half of the station's budget, and its employees and board members said the cuts would be a dire blow to its ability to serve the 71 counties and more than 1.2 million Kansans it reaches.
Aside from the potential job losses, the cuts means less information distributed to an already-underserved population, less coverage of popular local events such as high school wrestling and less attention paid to day-to-day life in rural America.
Hiya!🙋♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, reporter and newsletter writer, stepping in for Paste BN Editor-in-Chief Caren Bohan. Welcome to The Backstory, our newsletter exclusively for subscribers (that’s you!). I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of our breaking news coverage, scoops and unique storytelling. Besides Paste BN's coverage of cuts to public broadcasters, we're showcasing our coverage of extreme weather, pivotal grant-funded journalism and how Gen Z is trying to survive financially.
A few headlines from Paste BN I read this week:
- Some ICE detainees are turning to OnlyFans and GoFundMe for help.
- Their property taxes rose nearly 600%. These Native Hawaiians are fighting to keep their land.
- The NCAA settlement for college sports is already facing challenges. Was this the plan all along?
- Gen Z men and women have a deep political divide. It's made a dating a nightmare.
Extreme weather events
The devastating Texas floods earlier this month have put the spotlight back on extreme weather, and we're continuing to emphasize reporting on climate, science and how it impacts our everyday lives. Doyle Rice answered why 2025 has become "the year of the flood." (Hint: It's the humidity.) He also is helping us make sense of hurricane season, keeping up with the latest expert forecasts for 2025. Elizabeth Weise tackled volcanoes (journalistically), researching why multiple volcanic sites across several states are currently rumbling. Her findings indicate there's not cause for alarm. But do watch this Icelandic volcano erupting ... again.
The cost of care
Madeline Mitchell covers women and the caregiving economy at Paste BN via a partnership with Pivotal Ventures and Journalism Funding Partners. In the latest installment of her The Cost of Care series highlighting caregivers from across the country, Mitchell tells the story of Connie and Miriam Sabir, a Utah mother and daughter troubled by what Miriam's role as caregiver has meant for their relationship. Connie Sabir said she doesn’t want to be a burden. Miriam Sabir said the last two years have been incredibly difficult, but she doesn’t want her mother to feel like a burden. Between them, these feelings have gone unspoken, and their relationship illustrates a dynamic many Americans caring for aging parents share.
- The caregiving crisis is real. Paste BN wants to hear from you about how to solve it.
Gen Z’s economic reality is going viral
Paste BN Wellness aims to tell the story of how Americans are actually living. Rachel Hale did just this in her piece this week about how Gen Z employees are increasingly choosing to take on multiple jobs or side gigs, often driven by economic necessity. Creators like Cindy Dionicio post about their side hustles on TikTok to make additional cash − and connect with other young people in the process. Gen Z workers told Hale they are increasingly anxious about their financial futures.
Thank you
The dynamic range of journalism Paste BN is able to accomplish comes thanks to the support of readers like you. Happy reading and we'll see you next week.
Best wishes,
Nicole