SDPB supporters make final push to restore state funding

March 10, 2025:

South Dakota Public Broadcasting faces a critical vote this week (March 11, 2025) in its fight to restore the amount of funding it receives from the state

The Joint Committee on Appropriations will consider SDPB’s request to restore funding during its 8am meeting on Tuesday (in Room 362) at the State Capitol in Pierre. If lawmakers do not restore the $3.6 million funding, SDPB has said they would lose 50 staff positions and end most local programming.

Additionally, the network’s emergency alert system might experience operational challenges, thus affecting timely notifications, as well as having to reduce or eliminate its coverage of high school sports and fine arts events.

The cuts would take effect on July 1 if approved in the final budget.

Story courtesy of the South Dakota Broadcasters Association.

February 7, 2025:

South Dakota Public Broadcasting leaders warned lawmakers Friday (Feb. 7, 2025) that proposed budget cuts would end local programming and reduce emergency services while eliminating 50 staff positions.

“It’s not just a $3.6 million budget cut. It’s much more substantial than that because of the domino effect,” said Ryan Howlett, CEO of Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

The cuts would drop SDPB’s budget from $11 million to $4 million, affecting everything from high school sports coverage to legislative streaming. “We’re about a 76-person company,” Howlett said. “Projected FTE would be 26 people, mainly in engineering, to maintain the network.”

SDPB serves as the state’s emergency alert system, reaching 98% of South Dakota through a network independent of internet connectivity.

“We physically activate the AMBER alerts, the endangered person’s alerts, the blue alerts,” said SeVern Ashes, SDPB director of engineering. “If we lost internet, we could still get alerts out.”

The network currently produces 650 hours of local television and 2,000 hours of radio annually, supported by 13,500 member families and 175 corporate partners.

The South Dakota High School Activities Association relies on SDPB’s coverage of state events.

“We put on between 40 and 50 different state championship events each year,” said Dan Swartos, South Dakota High School Activities Association executive director. “We’re not going to find another over-the-air partner who’s able to do that.”

The cuts would take effect July 1, 2025, if approved in the final budget.

Story courtesy of the South Dakota Broadcasters Association.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting Executive Director Julie Overgaard testifies to state lawmakers about budget cuts proposed for them in FY26.

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December 17, 2024:

(Greater Dakota News Service/DRG Media Group)– In Governor Kristi Noem’s proposed 2026 budget, South Dakota Public Broadcasting would get just under $2-million– which equates to a 65% cut, or more than $3.5-million less that its 2025 budget.

SDPB Executive Director Julie Overgaard says that much of a budget reduction also puts another $1-million in grant money in jeopardy.

“It’s devastating news for SDPB and, in my belief and others’, it basically puts us on a trajectory for insolvency within the next 12 to 36 months.”

SDPB provides the live streams of the House and Senate floor sessions during the roughly 2.5-month long legislative session in South Dakota, as well as the live streams of the legislature’s committee meetings which are held all year long.

After state funding and grants, SDPB’s third major source of funding is private donations and gifts. Overgaard says she’s worried those sources will also dwindle if SDPB doesn’t have the staff to continue providing the content they currently do.

“It’s a tough go right now, I think, for public media organizations like ours. But I still think there’s enough public support and enough public need for the services that we provide.”

The “State of Local News 2024” report shows local news sources have been shutting down or being bought out at an accelerated pace over the past decade or more. Overgaard sees it in South Dakota, saying the state’s last locally-owned commercial TV station was sold to an out-of-state buyer this summer.

“We really kind of are the last stand here for having something locally owned that’s telling stories and providing news and issue coverage that are unique to South Dakota.”

If the proposed cuts are approved, Overgaard says they’re likely to “disproportionately affect rural services, where SDPB’s programming is most valued.”