When President Trump and congressional Republicans moved to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting earlier this year, everyone knew the president and many GOP members of Congress believed public TV and radio oppose their agenda. Conservatives have historically criticized public media as biased against them, even though they were never able to muster the votes to cut off its federal funding.

But who would have thought their successful push earlier this year would have created severe financial problems for Live Wire, the quirky Portland-based talk and variety radio show and podcast that doesn’t even pretend to cover the news or editorialize on current affairs? Typical shows blend unpredictable conversations and interviews, live music and poetry readings, and original comedy reflecting all types of culture, from emerging artists to established acts.

But that is what has happened: The nonprofit organization has announced an emergency Fully Charged fundraising campaign to raise $150,000 by January to replace the income it has lost this year.

“For two decades, we’ve been a very scrappy organization — producing a weekly national broadcast and dozens of live events every year on a shoestring budget with a tiny team,” Executive Director Heather de Michele said when announcing the fundraising drive. “We believe in our mission to cultivate joy and connection, and, time and again, we hear that our work has an impact. We are weathering our darkest storm yet and need to lean on our community to see us through. This campaign isn’t just about filling a funding gap, it’s about asking the community to claim ownership in Live Wire and invest in the work that really matters to them.”

Make no mistake, the nonprofit organization that has recorded its shows before live audiences in various Portland theaters over the past 21 years has never relied on federal grants. But PRX Exchange, or Public Radio Exchange, the nonprofit organization that distributes Live Wire‘s programs to public radio stations across the country, did receive federal funds, which are now lost.

“The most recent vote in the U.S. Senate and Congress to eliminate federal funding for public media is a devastating blow to communities nationwide,” Kerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX Exchange, said after the July defunding vote.

In addition, a number of public stations across the country have notified Live Wire that they can no longer afford its shows because of federal funding cuts. Combined with declining sponsor support and ticket sales (an industrywide problem), the losses have Live Wire fighting for its survival.

Sponsor

There is no doubt that Live Wire is otherwise popular. It was created as a live variety show at the Hollywood Theater in 2003 before being picked up by Oregon Public Broadcasting the next year and then spreading across the country. A September 2012 article on Current described it as a hipper version of Prairie Home Companion, with a younger audience. Before the federal budget cuts, it had 300,000 weekly listeners on more than 200 public radio stations nationwide. Now, suddenly, its existence is in doubt, even though it was never deliberately targeted by Trump and congressional Republicans.

The Fully Charged Campaign was announced on Nov. 5. It includes the following goals:

• Phase 1 (through Jan. 2026): Raise $150,000 for immediate support
• Phase 2 (2026-2027): Double sustaining membership from 300 to 600 members
• Phase 3 (2026-2028): Build reserves to ensure the show’s legacy continues 

“As public media faces unprecedented threats, Live Wire is turning to listeners to become a truly community-powered show — independent, sustainable, and answerable to the people who value what it creates.” the announcement said.

Live Wire is recorded before a live audience and then edited into one-hour episodes for broadcast, giving it a unique feel. Venues in Portland have includes the Aladdin Theater, the Mission Theatre & Pub, the Gerding Theatre in the First Regiment Armory Annex, Revolution Hall, and the Alberta Rose Theater. It was initially hosted by Rob Sample, followed by Courtenay Hameister, and now by Luke Burbank, a podcaster and occasional guest-host on the nationally syndicated NPR quiz show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!

Since it was founded, Live Wire has produced more than 300 live events and 600-plus hours of broadcast content. It has hosted cultural luminaries from Salman Rushdie to Maria Bamford, while also championing local artists including Cheryl Strayed, Gregory Grourdet, and Chuck Klosterman. It is the only nationally distributed public radio show from the Pacific Northwest, and joined the schedule of WNYC (New York City’s flagship station and the nation’s largest public radio outlet) earlier this year.

Since Congress eliminated federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over the summer, many public TV and radio stations have launched emergency fundraising drives to replace the money they did not expect to lose. Oregon Public Broadcasting has had high success, quickly raising the $5 million it will lose in next year’s budget.

“Thanks to the extraordinary support of OPB members and supporters, the organization has closed this year’s $5 million budget gap created when Congress ended federal funding. Nearly 80% of new revenue to make up the federal funding loss came through monthly sustaining contributions,” OPB President Rachel Smolkin said.

Sponsor

Smaller organizations, however, are struggling more and continuing to appeal for immediate public support.

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• More on “Live Wire” and its Fully Charged fundraising drive can be found at livewireradio.org/fullycharged.
• Previous Oregon ArtsWatch stories on the funding challenges facing the arts, culture and humanities, including public  media, can be found at orartswatch.org/section/culture/funding.