KVCR’s Future is Bright After Receiving $15 Million from State Budget
It’s the start of a new era for KVCR, the Inland Empire’s public TV and radio station.
The California state budget signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in June included $15 million for KVCR, which operates out of San Bernardino Valley College with the San Bernardino Community College District owning its broadcast license. In addition to being an NPR radio station and PBS television affiliate, KVCR is also the headquarters for FNX First Nations Experience, the only broadcast network in the United States solely providing Native American and global Indigenous content.
The funding will be used to expand in-studio training for students, increase staff, and cover the costs of PBS and NPR programming.
“Our vision is for KVCR to help grow our local talent and prepare the next generation of journalists and media professionals to enter California’s billion-dollar media industry,” San Bernardino Community College District Chancellor Diana Z. Rodriguez said. “It means diversifying the pipeline to Hollywood. It means training diverse journalists to cover their communities and teach how public media works.”
Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) stopped by the KVCR studios on August 12 to present the team with a $15 million ceremonial check. “Maintaining and expanding our inland region’s public radio and programming is essential to delivering nonpartisan local news to residents,” Reyes said. “This funding is important to ensure the public will benefit from KVCR, their programming, and educational training for years to come.”
The funding is “historic in the life of KVCR,” Rodriguez said. “I am grateful to the governor, Assembly Majority Leader Reyes, and her colleagues in the legislature for supporting KVCR. It’s a matter of educational equity for our region’s 4.6 million residents, not only to invest in our excellent community college district but to keep KVCR in the heart of it.”
KVCR airs on Channel 24 and 91.9 FM and can be streamed on kvcr.org.
