WXXI Public Media President and CEO Chris Hastings said Thursday that a plan is in place to sustain the organization's services in the short term if Congress pulls federal funding for public broadcasting.
A final vote on the rescission bill is expected in the House of Representatives by midnight Friday. The bill claws back nearly $8 billion for foreign aid programs, along with $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The measure passed the Senate early Thursday in a 51-48 vote.
Hastings said his goal is to maintain WXXI programming and services with fewer resources, and audiences should not expect to see many immediate changes.
"But I would think in the next few months, we're going to be making changes to how we do things behind the scenes, and that may affect what people see in the months ahead," he said.
Hastings said some job cuts may be necessary.
WXXI stands to lose $1.9 million in funding, or approximately 15% of its annual operating budget.
But on Thursday morning, Hastings was leaving room for hope, and encouraging public media supporters to contact their representatives and make their voices heard.
"I'm trying to remind people that, you know, democracy is a compromise, and there may be compromises that might be happening in D.C.," he said. "We don't know. So I think it's important that we have to have a little hope while we deal with reality."
