Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, KPCW reporters and local nonprofits will take to the air during the four-day drive to 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 support the station's local news, public affairs programming, podcasts and music along with emergency alerts and updates like KPCW provided throughout the Rocky Canyon Fire in August.
Allely said the majority of the station’s budget supports the employees who provide the services to the community.
“About 80% of our operating budget, which is about $2.3 million, goes to salaries and benefits,” Allely said. “Without their time and energy and enthusiasm for the KPCW mission, we wouldn't be able to fulfill what the community needs.”
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.
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.
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 exceed $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.
