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Iowa Public Radio facing state funding cut of 8%

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July 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Public Radio is losing some state support and will have to find more donors, bigger donations or other sources of revenue in order to maintain current programming. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that a proposed budget submitted to the Iowa Board of Regents shows Iowa Public Radio will receive roughly 8% less than it did the last budget year. Government funding makes up around 21% of Iowa Public Radio’s operating income, which is expected to reach $8.3 million this year.

The organization’s executive director is Myrna Johnson, and she says it will need to find more non-government revenue to avoid losing one or two of its programs, which she did not identify.
She says fundraising gains supporting Iowa Public Radio’s expansion in recent years have come from corporate sponsors and its listeners.