ADOPT A STATION LAUNCHES COMMUNITY IMPACT TAGS ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC MEDIA DEFUNDING

New data from Semipublic helps donors identify stations with strong local journalism and local programming, and community-rooted content

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — June 24, 2026 — One year ago this July, Congress voted to rescind federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — the most consequential moment for American public media since the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. In the days following that vote, Semipublic founder Alex Curley launched AdoptAStation.org to connect donors with the stations most at risk of closing. As that anniversary approaches, Semipublic is announcing a major expansion of the platform: the introduction of Community Impact Tags, a new feature that helps donors understand not just which stations are financially vulnerable, but what those stations mean to the communities they serve.

In the year since its launch, AdoptAStation.org has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and helped direct hundreds of thousands of dollars to the stations that needed it most. Semipublic itself has grown from a one-person data newsletter into a nonprofit with a mission of building public trust in media through data and a founding board of directors.

"I built Adopt a Station in a single day, published it, and then got in the car for a five-hour road trip,” said Curley. “I knew the information was needed — people were desperate to understand which stations were truly at risk and how to help — but I never imagined how many people would actually notice, or care, or act on it. More than 100,000 visitors later, with hundreds of thousands of dollars directed to stations across the country, the impact has far exceeded anything I could have dreamed of when I hit publish and pulled out of the driveway."

Introducing Community Impact Tags

Beginning today, station listings on AdoptAStation.org will display new tags drawn from an expanded Semipublic dataset compiled over the past several months:

• Local Journalism Leader — stations that create a high amount of local journalism compared to their annual budget.

• Local Programming Leader — stations that create a high amount of local programming compared to their annual budget.

• Native Audiences —  stations that are a member of Native Public Media and primarily serve Native American, Alaska Native, or Indigenous communities.

• Rural — stations that are members of the Alliance of Rural Public Media, or identified by America’s Public Television Stations as those that serve rural communities, many of which face the steepest funding losses and operate as the sole local news source for the communities they serve.

• HBCU — stations operated by or in direct affiliation with a Historically Black College or University.

• Music — stations that broadcast music as their main format.

The tags are derived from financial filings, programming data, and station licensing records compiled in Semipublic's proprietary dataset — the most comprehensive and up-to-date independent database of public media station information in the United States.

Why It Matters

The past year has made clear that the consequences of defunding are not evenly distributed. Stations serving Native American communities were among the hardest hit — KSHI on the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico lost 96% of its federal revenue, while stations across Alaska lost an average of more than 30% of their annual budgets. HBCU-affiliated and community stations similarly face structural funding challenges that existed before the rescission vote and have since been compounded by it. 

Station managers across the country have seen the platform's impact firsthand:

"Adopt a Station has had a huge impact on our station," said Gerald Rodriguez, general manager of KRZA Community Radio in Alamosa, Colorado. "We received thousands of dollars in support because of this fantastic resource. It directed donors to our website and our direct donation link. We are still receiving almost $1,000 a month through PayPal. It is a crucial data source for public media and we appreciate everything about it."

“When federal funding was eliminated, the support we received through Adopt A Station was a powerful reminder that people across the country believe in the value of public media, even when it serves communities far from their own,” said Kristin Hall, general manager of KYUK in Bethel, Alaska. “That spirit of generosity and community is at the heart of both public broadcasting and Adopt A Station. While public media stations navigate unprecedented change, Adopt A Station continues to be a trusted ally and partner in this new landscape. For KYUK, that support helps ensure we can continue doing what we've been doing for over 50 years–connecting communities through trusted local information rooted in the languages, cultures, and stories of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta.”

For Semipublic, the Community Impact Tags represent the next step in its goal to connect donors with the public media stations that need it most, while serving as a trusted source of information for donors, journalists, and public media supporters who want to understand what is happening across the industry — and what needs to happen to ensure public media not only survives this difficult period, but thrives for years to come.

"My career is rooted in environmental advocacy and philanthropy, and I've learned that progress is driven by informed communities who understand what's at stake and believe their actions can make a difference. Public media has always been essential to that,” said Semipublic board chair Sarah Caldwell. “What Semipublic has built with Adopt a Station is exactly what the philanthropic sector needs more of: clear, trustworthy data that connects people who want to make a difference with the places where their support will matter most. As chair of the board, I'm proud to help carry that mission forward."

About Semipublic

Semipublic is a nonprofit organization with the mission of building public trust in media through data. A central resource for donors, journalists, and public media fans, Semipublic tracks what is happening across the public media landscape and provides the information communities need to ensure public media survives — and thrives. Semipublic operates AdoptAStation.org, a Public Media Jobs Index, and a layoff tracker documenting personnel losses across the industry since July 2025. In its first year, AdoptAStation.org welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and directed hundreds of thousands of dollars to stations across the country. Learn more at semipublic.org.

Media contact: Isabel Lara, isabel@semipublic.org