MCF Member Briefing: Call to Action for Philanthropy to Protect Public Media

Public media empowers communities through serving as a trusted, accessible platform that informs, educates, connects. Despite overwhelming public opposition, Congress approved a rescissions package eliminating $1.1 billion in already-approved funding for public media. In Minnesota, that funding totals $17,228,752 across 16 organizations, from small stations slashing 30-50% of their budgets. Minnesota’s public media stations are at risk of closure and rural tribal, and low-wealth communities will be the most impacted by the loss of public broadcasting. We cannot let this happen. Now is the time to fund and protect public media to ensure all Minnesotans have access to reliable news and information. 

Join the Minnesota Council on Foundations and Press Forward Minnesota to hear directly from station leaders how the communities they serve will be devasted by these funding cuts and how they are managing the ever-changing landscape. We will also hear from funders who are stepping up in this moment to protect public media and invite funders to join this cause through supporting Press Forward Minnesota. 

Speakers

May Yang, Senior Manager of Policy and Partnerships, Minnesota Council on Foundations, and Press Forward Minnesota Lead 

Jeff Hanks, President & CEO, Lakeland PBS 

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Jeff Hanks stepped into the role of President & CEO of Lakeland PBS in 2021, but has been with the organization for over thirty years in total.  Prior to his current role, Jeff served as the Program & Production manager at Lakeland for fourteen years, and worked in station operations before that.  Jeff’s deep experience with Lakeland PBS and collaboration with all the other stations in the Minnesota Public Television Association (MPTA) fuel his passion for public media and service to our communities. 
Jeff provides leadership, direction and oversight to ensure that Lakeland PBS fulfills its mission to educate, inform, and enrich viewers.  Lakeland PBS produces the only local television newscast in northern and central Minnesota, Lakeland News, since 1998.
A Bemidji resident, Jeff greatly enjoys all that the northern Minnesota outdoors has to offer, including hunting, fishing, and hiking.  Jeff and his wife, Shawna, have two grown sons who also reside in the Bemidji area.

Sarah Bignall, CEO/General Manager, KAXE 

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Since stepping into the role of CEO/General Manager in early 2022, Sarah Bignall has led Northern Community Radio through a period of significant growth and recognition. Under her leadership, KAXE's newsroom launched and has become award-winning, earning the station the title of 'Ampers 2025 Station of the Year.' Sarah has also overseen a remarkable growth in the station’s digital presence, with KAXE.org reaching record-breaking levels of audience engagement.

In response to the recent CPB funding cuts, Sarah has become a prominent voice advocating for local public media, speaking to its vital role in rural communities. She has been featured in over a dozen interviews, including with KARE11, the Minnesota Star Tribune, MinnPost, Northern News Now, and national outlets like Politico, helping highlight the real impact of these cuts on local journalism and community service.

Sarah first joined KAXE in 2015 and was promoted to Director of Operations in 2016, where she played a pivotal role in shaping on-air programming, managing station operations, and coordinating many of the station's hallmark events. Her diverse professional background, spanning nonprofit management, marketing, grant writing, public relations, and event coordination, continues to inform her innovative approach to leadership and community connection.

A Grand Rapids resident, Sarah enjoys exploring Northern Minnesota’s trails through hiking and biking, indulging her growing love of books and planning travel adventures. She shares her home with her husband and their two lovable yellow labs.

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Margaret Rousu, General Manager, KKWE Niijii Radio

Margaret "Maggie" Rousu has been the dedicated Executive Director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) since 2018. Her unwavering commitment to her community is evident through both her education and extensive professional experience. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and a diploma in Accounting, and has enhanced her leadership capabilities through the Native Nations Rebuilders program at the Native Governance Center and the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program. Maggie’s career is marked by her service in several vital roles, including Child Protection Social Worker, a volunteer Women's and Children's Domestic Violence Advocate, Children's Mental Health Case Manager, and began her community work as Community Liaison for the White Earth Police Department. She has lived and worked on the White Earth Reservation most of her life, leaving only to complete her Bachelor's Degree. Maggie is also a devoted mother of three adult children and a grandmother to eight, and she treasures spending her free time with her family.

Patrice Relerford, Vice President of Collective Impact and Giving, The Minneapolis Foundation

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Patrice Relerford leads the Minneapolis Foundation’s K–12 education strategy and state-level policy advocacy, focusing on equity and closing opportunity gaps. Patrice also co-leads the Foundation’s Impact Team and oversees collective giving and responsive philanthropy initiatives like the OneMPLS Fund, Fund for Safe Communities, and Fourth Generation.

Prior to joining the Minneapolis Foundation, Patrice worked for People Serving People, a Minneapolis family homeless shelter. She started her career as a K–12 education reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune. Patrice holds degrees in journalism and public administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Illinois-Chicago, respectively, and is a proud first-generation college graduate.