A critical moment for Detroit PBS & 90.9 WRCJ

[blizzard]

A MESSAGE FROM
RICH HOMBERG, PRESIDENT & CEO

Dear Friend of Detroit PBS,

As a valued viewer and listener of Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ, I want to let you know where things stand with us, locally, as public broadcasting has entered the national conversation about funding and change.

At Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ, we are proud to serve a vibrant and growing community. Our mission and commitment drive everything we do. As the only locally and independently owned major media outlet in the Detroit Metro area, we reach more than four million residents under the unifying commitment: Four Million People, One Story. Every day—on-air, online, and through in-person events—we connect and inspire with trusted journalism, educational programming, and cultural enrichment.

Our leadership team is closely monitoring discussions in Washington and staying in regular contact with PBS headquarters and our partners at American Public Television Stations (APTS) to advocate for the essential role of public media in communities like ours.

As these conversations unfold, it is important to recognize the foundational role that federal funding plays in sustaining public media. Federal funding provides a backbone of support for program distribution and essential technology infrastructure. Nationally, this funding sustains these critical services, particularly for stations serving rural and underserved areas.

Public support also makes all our work happen. Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ thrive thanks to people like you who believe in the importance of public media. Together, we provide essential services that educate, inform, and inspire.

Detroit is experiencing an era of growth and opportunity with momentum that continues to shape what I call “The Most Important City in America” (TMICIA). We are proud to be part of this progress as we expand our service and prepare to operate from the new Fred and Barbara Erb Public Media Campus in late 2026. This new facility in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood will offer new opportunities for community engagement and innovation, enhancing our impact across the region.

It is important for you to know that nearly 70% of Detroit PBS's funding came from non-government sources in 2024, including donations from members like you. Our funding mix allows us to innovate and provide extensive services:

Strengthening Our Mission: We are deepening our commitment to families locally through our early childhood education initiative and statewide via the Michigan Learning Channel, helping children across Detroit and Michigan develop the skills they need to thrive in school and in life through the channel’s programs.

Bringing Detroit's Stories to Life: Through local programs like “American Black Journal,” “One Detroit,” and “Great Lakes Now,” Detroit PBS highlights Detroit's and the region’s remarkable achievements and ongoing growth. Additionally, 90.9 WRCJ, Detroit’s only radio station dedicated to classical and jazz music, continues to celebrate and share our city’s rich cultural heritage with listeners across the region.

Expanding Access to the Community: Thanks to your support, even in this new era of “pay TV,” we provide free access to five broadcast TV channels, the 90.9 WRCJ radio channel, and an ever-growing presence on digital platforms, ensuring that our programs reach homes throughout Southeast Michigan and beyond.

Delivering Trusted and Engaging Content: Your contributions make it possible for Detroit PBS to offer world-renowned programs like “MASTERPIECE,” “Nature,” and “PBS News Hour,” along with beloved educational children's content such as "Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Wild Kratts,” and “Carl the Collector,” bringing safe and enriching learning experiences to families across our region.
Funding from the taxpayer-supported Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) accounts for approximately 10% of our total budget, playing a vital role in sustaining essential services such as broadcast interconnectivity within the PBS network to ensure seamless content delivery.

Additional governmental support, including funding from the State of Michigan, helps power initiatives like the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC)—a statewide public television network dedicated to providing free, curriculum-based educational programming for students, families, and educators. From early childhood education through high school, MLC delivers high-quality instructional content both on-air and online, bridging learning gaps and expanding access to essential resources. While we continuously work to diversify our funding sources, government support remains a cornerstone of our ability to serve the community and fulfill our public media mission.

You are a vital part of this mission. Your voice matters. We ask that you stand with us by signing the Protect My Public Media petition at protectmypublicmedia.org to show your support for continued funding. You can also reach out to your local congressional representatives and let them know how important Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ are to you and your community.

To further explore the impact of your support, please view our latest annual report at detroitpbs.org/annualreport.

I will continue to keep you posted about the funding situation, should anything change, or we need anything else from our community. In the meantime, thank you for your continued trust and investment in public media. Your support keeps Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ strong, relevant, and impactful in the lives of so many.

With gratitude,

Rich Homberg
Detroit PBS / 90.9 WRCJ
President and CEO

[MWmetalhead]

Metro Detroit is a top 20 media market with approximately 4 million potential viewers or listeners.

Detroit Public Broadcasting just left one state of the art studio for another state of the art studio.

Their viewers and listeners are generally middle or upper income.

So, my message to Homberg is this:
Why should my tax dollars fund your hoity toity programming and plush studios? Why should those tax dollars go to YOU as opposed to more pressing needs?

I would love to sign a petition to DENY usage of any public tax dollars to subsidize the operations of WTVS or WRCJ. These major market broadcasters should operate in self-sufficient fashion.

[edj]

Why did they have to leave Wixom anyway? Why did they move there in the first place?

[km1125]

Metro Detroit is a top 20 media market with approximately 4 million potential viewers or listeners.

Detroit Public Broadcasting just left one state of the art studio for another state of the art studio.

Their viewers and listeners are generally middle or upper income.

So, my message to Homberg is this:
Why should my tax dollars fund your hoity toity programming and plush studios? Why should those tax dollars go to YOU as opposed to more pressing needs?

I would love to sign a petition to DENY usage of any public tax dollars to subsidize the operations of WTVS or WRCJ. These major market broadcasters should operate in self-sufficient fashion.

+1 on that! Plenty of those shows on PBS get sponsorships. Some of those sponsorship $$ should be towards the broadcast costs. I wonder how much money Sesame Street raked in (or are raking in) on licensing arrangements with toy companies? Are they still on PBS?

[MWmetalhead]

Reruns from about 2017 and earlier air on PBS. Current episodes air exclusively on MAX, according to what I just read (something I did not previously realize).

I suspect many program creators and producers live handsomely. Numerous philanthropic foundations and corporate sponsors provide financial support. They should be able to fill any void created from removal of federal funding.

[TC Talks]

Maybe they can be the new home for Arab Voice of Detroit. I miss that program...

As someone who has worked in community and public media since 1982, I agree that the cost to operate an ota TV station that is Public is the least efficient use of funds from CPB than it ever has. The programming has simply been buried by streaming options from BBC and other sources.

I believe that PBS should go streaming with national and local content mixed in. Very few people use the Ota portion of public TV any longer.

[RedfordRob]

I support Detroit PBS / 90.9 WRCJ and will continue to do so.

[FredLeonard]

Public broadcasters can't have it both ways. They tell us CPB money is only a small portion of their revenue but when anybody wants to cut it off, they scream like it will end public broadcasting forever. Some people, for various reasons, hate public radio and public television, and therefore want CPB funding to end. I am not one of them. I want it to end because they don't need it. State of the art facilities and equipment. Large staffs. Above average salaries. And often enough left over for for-profit subsidiaries. They have pushed the envelope to the point there is little publicly recognizable difference between commercials and enhanced underwriting announcements. And they still have the begathons imploring us to give them money.

Now, there are some stations in remote communities that do need the money and those communities often have no other local media available to them. I would make an exception for them. But stations like channel 56, WDET, WUOM and WKAR don't need the money. It's like somebody who gets a good job and still wants to collect welfare.

[IIN4MU]

I support Detroit PBS / 90.9 WRCJ and will continue to do so.

As do I, and proudly so.

[MWmetalhead]

Public broadcasters can't have it both ways. They tell us CPB money is only a small portion of their revenue but when anybody wants to cut it off, they scream like it will end public broadcasting forever. Some people, for various reasons, hate public radio and public television, and therefore want CPB funding to end. I am not one of them. I want it to end because they don't need it. State of the art facilities and equipment. Large staffs. Above average salaries. And often enough left over for for-profit subsidiaries. They have pushed the envelope to the point there is little publicly recognizable difference between commercials and enhanced underwriting announcements. And they still have the begathons imploring us to give them money.

Now, there are some stations in remote communities that do need the money and those communities often have no other local media available to them. I would make an exception for them. But stations like channel 56, WDET, WUOM and WKAR don't need the money. It's like somebody who gets a good job and still wants to collect welfare.

Beautifully stated. I agree completely with your remarks in all respects.

[TC Talks]

Beautifully stated. I agree completely with your remarks in all respects.

This is the point when I remind you that the US Taxpayers bailed out the wealthiest banks on the planet and everyone with a Checking Account or a Mortgage paid for it. That amounts to 100 years of CPB support.

[MWmetalhead]

If the banking system crashed, what do you think that would've done for the nation's economy? Many of the banks who received TARP funds repaid the Federal Reserve in full.

Those who enjoy PBS and NPR programming on a regular basis absolutely should provide financial support. There is a good deal of high quality programming offered. Most of that high quality programming would still be offered if taxpayer support went away. I do agree fully with Fred that partial taxpayer subsidization of public broadcasters located in highly rural areas with few other broadcast media options is fine.

Instead of tax dollars going to the homeless, emergency recovery, wounded vets, energy supply, health care or research, Rich Homberg wants to continue to divert some of those tax dollars to fund his station's office furniture and outside landscaping. He can get bent as far as I'm concerned.

[rugratsonline]

Reruns from about 2017 and earlier air on PBS. Current episodes air exclusively on MAX, according to what I just read (something I did not previously realize).

I thought I read that the MAX / HBO episodes air on PBS 9 months after?

That being said, the Street will be leaving the MAX platform soon, meaning that the Street will need a new home, unless they want to again be exclusive to PBS.

[TC Talks]

If the banking system crashed, what do you think that would've done for the nation's economy? Many of the banks who received TARP funds repaid the Federal Reserve in full.

Those who enjoy PBS and NPR programming on a regular basis absolutely should provide financial support. There is a good deal of high quality programming offered. Most of that high quality programming would still be offered if taxpayer support went away. I do agree fully with Fred that partial taxpayer subsidization of public broadcasters located in highly rural areas with few other broadcast media options is fine.

Instead of tax dollars going to the homeless, emergency recovery, wounded vets, energy supply, health care or research, Rich Homberg wants to continue to divert some of those tax dollars to fund his station's office furniture and outside landscaping. He can get bent as far as I'm concerned.

Are you suggesting that Republicans would redirect CPB funds to homelessness reduction initiatives? I'm choking on my coffee...

So banks can completely neglect their fiduciary responsibilities and get a pass, while PBS does what it's supposed to do and you want to end support?

There were many other banks that weren't in crisis, we had other options...

[MWmetalhead]

If the banking system crashed, what do you think that would've done for the nation's economy? Many of the banks who received TARP funds repaid the Federal Reserve in full.

Those who enjoy PBS and NPR programming on a regular basis absolutely should provide financial support. There is a good deal of high quality programming offered. Most of that high quality programming would still be offered if taxpayer support went away. I do agree fully with Fred that partial taxpayer subsidization of public broadcasters located in highly rural areas with few other broadcast media options is fine.

Instead of tax dollars going to the homeless, emergency recovery, wounded vets, energy supply, health care or research, Rich Homberg wants to continue to divert some of those tax dollars to fund his station's office furniture and outside landscaping. He can get bent as far as I'm concerned.

Are you suggesting that Republicans would redirect CPB funds to homelessness reduction initiatives? I'm choking on my coffee...

So banks can completely neglect their fiduciary responsibilities and get a pass, while PBS does what it's supposed to do and you want to end support?

There were many other banks that weren't in crisis, we had other options...

The funds were meant to stabilize the banking system (i.e. prevent a depression era "run") and did so successfully. Many bad actors were shut down; WaMu is arguably the most prominent example.

If you are suggesting depositors should've lost all money above FDIC insurance limits, that is something with which I cannot get on board. That would've crippled our economy and would've caused a depression.

There should be finite tax dollars to spend as opposed to ever increasing bloated spending funded by printing more & more money or issuing more & more federal debt. Money sent to the CPB is money that is unable to be spent elsewhere. Aristocrats who work for Detroit Public TV, WAMU, WGBH, WNYC, etc. do not need nor deserve partial subsidization via use of federal funds.

There are many other industries or companies or projects who are undeserving of corporate welfare as well.