The sun was just coming up when a small group of marchers left Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services in Springfield to start the annual walk for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Leading them with a symbolic empty shopping cart — and dressed as Glinda from “Wicked" — was NEPM’s Monte Belmonte.
NEPM had spent the prior week reporting on hunger in our community and now Monte was helping us walk the talk. Two days and 42 miles later, this group had grown to more than one hundred people and raised nearly $600,000 to help our neighbors in need.
To me, this effort shows the power of public media: it connects us, informs us, and inspires action when it matters.
Today is Protect My Public Media Day, a crucial day of advocacy to ensure that public media gets the support it deserves.
Public media has been a vital part of American life for more than 50 years. We offer educational programming, emergency services, music, and trusted news and information, all in service of building stronger communities. Today, the industry is facing an uncertain future as Congress debates the funding decisions that will impact stations nationwide.
While most of NEPM’s funding comes from member donations and underwriting from local businesses, we rely on federal support for 10% of our budget. Those federal dollars not only buoy our operation locally, but they support the entire public media ecosystem that provides essential infrastructure and programming across the country.
Without that funding, we’d have a hard time continuing all the services we currently offer in western Mass. — access to NPR and PBS programming; trusted coverage during emergencies; educational programs that inspire kids of all ages; in-depth local reporting and conversation; and, of course, the enduring beauty of music.
That’s why we need your help.
The future of NEPM and public media nationwide depends on us all speaking up today. Please take action by signing the petition to preserve federal funding at ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. It’s an easy way to advocate for some of the last locally owned, operated and governed media organizations in this country.
In its best moments, public media nurtures community, civility and curiosity. This mission has never been more crucial to our region, our commonwealth and our entire country. Today is our starting point and we are determined to keep marching ahead, undiminished and undeterred. Thank you for joining NEPM on Protect My Public Media Day.
Matt Abramovitz is the president of NEPM.
