Boise State Public Radio, which has been serving Idaho for nearly five decades, is an NPR-member station that could be severely affected if the Trump administration successfully halts federal funding of public media. 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR” and other public media outlets. NPR has vowed to challenge the order “by all means available,” but local station leaders are preparing for the federal spigot to be shut off. 

Boise State Public Radio receives about 15-20% of its $4.8 million budget from CPB funding. The station receives about 12% of its budget from a Community Service Grant, with additional government resources coming from programming grants designed to help regional journalism. 

“To lose that funding would also likely mean loss of services locally,” Boise State Public Radio general manager Tom Michael told Fox News Digital. 

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“Idaho is a very rural state,” he continued. “We have transmitters in locations with a couple thousand people, and the reason we’re able to do that is because of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”

Trump contends NPR is a far-left outlet that doesn’t merit public funding, while NPR has fired back that the president’s order is an affront to the First Amendment that jeopardizes stations like Michael’s.

Michael believes “anything in the public realm is up for debate,” and is eager to explain to critics why Boise State Public Radio can’t simply make up the lost cash through additional advertising or other ways a for-profit station would attempt to generate additional revenue. 

“We have a non-profit mission; we’re on the non-commercial band and the Federal Communications Commission classifies us as a Noncommercial Educational. We have a mission of service,” Michael said. 

“We can’t do political ads, for example. That’s just not allowed on FCC broadcast rules,” he said. “We have restrictions on us that we can’t do commercial messaging.” 

Boise State Public Radio serves a variety of small Idaho towns such as Salmon, Stanley and Challis, with tiny populations, some with fewer than 1,000 residents.

“A commercial broadcast probably wouldn’t find a return on investment in some of those places, but we do it because of the public-private partnership we have, and because it’s our duty based on the 1967 Broadcasting Act to serve as many Americans as we can,” he said. 

“When people ask, ‘Why should taxpayers fund this?’ Well, part of this is because of our mission of universal service,” Michael continued. “Trying to serve as many people as we can, no matter where they’re from. It’s not just a bottom-line business interest; we need to be in those areas.” 

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Michael said that the emergency alert system is another reason why public radio stations are vital in rural areas. Boise State Public Radio is essentially the primary service for a “huge part” of Idaho, feeding smaller stations with emergency messaging. 

“No matter if they’re commercial stations or religious broadcasters or whomever, we help originate that signal. And so that’s really important,” Michael said. 

“In the heart of New York City, you’re always going to get a signal. That’s not the case in Idaho. You know, broadband connectivity isn’t strong in a lot of places. And, you know, we have wildfires,” he continued.

Michael also recalled the 2022 Four Corners Fire, which forced about 600 people to flee their homes. Afternoon host Troy Oppie provided residents with evacuation orders. 

“Radio, which is an old technology, is still very relevant for people who might not have great cell service, might have lost electricity… there is no paywall. They can access it [for] free, and we feel it’s our duty to share that information,” he said. 

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Boise State Public Radio has a staff of roughly 30 people with half of them on the content side of the business. The station is funded through September, when the fiscal year ends, and Michael has been telling concerned staffers it’s “full steam ahead” at the moment, but employees are anxious. 

Michael explained that the CPB typically provides about $600,000 in grants to Boise State Public Radio, and he believes it would have an “outpouring of local support” if Trump succeeds in withholding that cash. But it might not be enough. 

“I don’t necessarily believe in our low-population state that we’d have, you know, 600 new major donors suddenly appear,” he said, noting that a “major donor” gives $1,000 or more. 

“It’s not just one year of funding, it’s year after year, and it allows us to do all of these things,” he said. 

Michael said Boise State Public Radio also helps fill a “hole” in local news coverage, as regional newspapers such as the Idaho Press and Idaho Statesman have seen their staff dwindle in recent years. 

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The debate over NPR’s funding comes amid the taxpayer-backed outlet grappling with accusations of liberal bias that critics say betrays the public trust. Former editor Uri Berliner resigned last year after calling out how NPR covered such major topics as Russiagate, the COVID lab leak theory, and Hunter Biden’s scandalous laptop.

Michael, who previously worked in public radio in Texas and has interviewed figures like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and former First Lady Laura Bush, said it’s important for public media to touch a wide range of topics.

“I don’t agree with everything I hear on the radio, but I appreciate the public radio service because it’s pluralistic, right? It covers a lot of issues,” Michael said. 

“I think every public radio station should reflect the issues of the community,” he added. “We lean into that here.” 

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.