KPCW staff, volunteers and local nonprofits took to the air Monday morning to start the four-day on-air portion of the summer 2026 pledge drive and explain how the station serves the Wasatch Back.
KPCW Executive Director and CEO Juliana Allely said the goal is to raise $375,000. Part of that will help close the almost $530,000 gap the station faces after losing federal funding in 2025.
“We are still facing a shortfall because that federal funding was for two years of support,” Allely said.
An emergency fundraiser last summer helped make up the lost 2026 funding. That community support, along with spending reductions, helped the station offset much of the first-year loss without significant cuts to local programming and services.
Allely said the station is now down about $264,000 in federal funds originally approved for fiscal year 2027.
Donations from individuals, which account for more than half of the station’s revenue, support local news, public affairs programming, podcasts and music along with emergency alerts and updates such as the one’s KPCW provided throughout the Rocky Canyon Fire in August.
Allely said 97% of its revenue stays local, supporting the people and infrastructure behind its local news, programming and community services.
"KPCW is the only public media serving residents of the Wasatch Back,” she said. “Our local news and community programming is community-funded. Donations make it possible for KPCW to cover breaking news, emergencies, local sports and culture and keep community conversations on the air."
That work becomes especially important during emergencies.
When the Rocky Canyon Fire threatened Henefer in August, KPCW provided continuing coverage on air and online as conditions changed in Summit County.
The station kept the community updated on mandatory evacuations, shelter locations, road closures, power outages and the fire’s growth and containment.
These real-time updates gave residents potentially life-saving information about whether they needed to leave, where they could go and how to get there when roads closed.
Outside of emergencies, the KPCW news team attends local government and school board meetings, examines public records and explains decisions involving taxes, housing, development, transportation and public safety in Summit and Wasatch counties.
KPCW also brings the community news in Spanish, offers a community calendar with free events and activities as well as the beloved Lost & Found report, book and film reviews and new music every week with Fresh Tracks Friday.
The award-winning news team opens the pledge drive Monday morning, sharing some of the most consequential stories of the year and how local reporting helps the Wasatch Back.
More than two dozen local nonprofits will also appear during the pledge drive to discuss their work and KPCW’s role in connecting them with the community.
By partnering with the station, Allely said nonprofits earn free underwriting, helping them reach the Wasatch Back without spending money intended for their programs and services.
“We ask them to help us fundraise for KPCW and as a show of appreciation, we award them free underwriting credits to be used in the future,” she said.
KPCW has awarded more than $900,000 in free underwriting to area nonprofits since 2021. Allely expects that number to approach $1 million after this pledge drive.
The on-air fundraiser runs Monday, Sept. 14, through Thursday, Sept. 17. Online donations will be accepted through Sept. 20.
Supporters can donate now here or call the station at (435) 649-9004 during the on-air pledge drive.
