Dear Friends,
WXXI belongs to this community — not to shareholders, not to advertisers, but to you.
As the country faces growing polarization and public institutions are increasingly under attack, public media is once again being targeted.
As the hearings in Washington DC demonstrated, federal funding for public broadcasting is at risk, and efforts to defund our work are gaining momentum. These threats are not theoretical — they are strategic, coordinated, and real.
This is not the first time we’ve faced this kind of pressure. But this time, the stakes feel higher.
I joined WXXI six months ago because I believe in the power of public media to inform, educate, and reflect the full diversity of American life. That belief has only deepened since arriving in Rochester. I’ve met students who rely on our PBS educational programming, listeners who count on WXXI News for trusted local reporting, and artists who see and hear their work and culture reflected in our storytelling and live concerts.
None of that happens without public investment — and without you.
When federal support is threatened, it puts everything we do at risk: our journalism, our arts and culture coverage, our educational outreach, and our ability to serve every household, regardless of zip code or income level.
So I’m asking you to do what our community has always done: stand up for WXXI.
• Contact your elected representatives and tell them public media matters.
• Spread the word about what WXXI means to you. Share your story with us here, or share it on social media using #protectWXXI.
• And if you’re able, make a contribution to help sustain our work here in this region.
At a time when facts are under attack and division is used as a political tool, public media continues to hold the line. We’re here to inform, not inflame. To reflect, not reduce. To connect, not divide.
Let’s keep it that way — together.
With resolve
Chris Hastings
President & CEO
WXXI Public Media