Wyoming Public Media’s Birthday Bash Flips into a Last-minute Funding Rally

The original story by Mike Koshmrl.

What started as a 60th-birthday get-together for the public broadcaster quickly turned into a street-corner pep talk about money and politics Thursday, as supporters rallied to keep a roughly $1.7 million state funding restoration alive.

First to the mic was local backer Richard Garrett, who wasted no time celebrating an amendment moving through the Wyoming Senate that would put the $1.7 million back into the budget. Garrett called Sen. Ogden Driskill a “hero” for sponsoring the fix – then warned the crowd it was “a very treacherous journey” with “eight or nine more steps to go.”

About 30 listeners, buffeted by wind across the street from the Wyoming Capitol, heard the quick update from Garrett and other speakers. The funding fight stems from cuts proposed by lawmakers allied with the Freedom Caucus, who had zeroed out the outlet’s line in the budget drafted before the session.

Casper Republican Rep. Elissa Campbell – sporting a decades-old sticker tied to the outlet – told the crowd she’s been an advocate for the station’s role in “access to information.” She later tried to carry a funding fix onto the House floor, but that particular amendment didn’t stick as lawmakers worked late into the night on a budget that was still short about $40 million for the University of Wyoming.

Good news: the Senate amendment did pass, and general manager Christina Kuzmych confirmed it restored the nearly $1.7 million. That money underwrites eight staff positions across news, engineering and operations at the station’s statewide FM network – jobs supporters say are critical to keeping local reporting on the air.

The win isn’t final. The House could still add the funding back during third reading, or the two chambers will have to reconcile differences in conference. For now, supporters went from cake to campaign mode – candles blown out, fundraising faces on, and fingers crossed that the Legislature finishes the job.