Gov. Kristi Noem is proposing a significant cut to South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
The outgoing Republican governor said it would bring the station in line with the national average of state support for public broadcasting.
Noem is President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
She wants to cut the state allocation of SDPB’s budget by 65 percent.
Noem proposed the cut during the annual budget address on Tuesday.
“Currently, South Dakota has the third-highest per capita funding of public broadcasting of any state in the nation. We’ve been paying more than double the national average,” Noem said.
For fiscal year 2026, SDPB requested nearly $5.6 million. The governor is recommending the station receive $1.9 million.
Noem proposed the $3.6 million cut as part of an overall $72 million in budget reduction across state government.
SDPB carries national programming from NPR and PBS, as well as original programming, on a statewide radio and television network. Its stated mission is to use the power of public media to connect South Dakotans with education, information, culture and the arts.
Ryan Howlett is the CEO of Friends of SDPB, a nonprofit organization that exists to support the mission of SDPB. He said the group is saddened by the proposed reduction.
“The state dollars pay for the infrastructure, the engineering, of what keeps SDPB on the air. With that big of a cut, there will be drastic effects on programming,” Howlett said.
State lawmakers have the final say on the state budget. The 100th legislative session starts on Jan. 14.
