State Lawmakers Approve Prairie Public Reduced Amount Budget

John Harris, president and CEO of Prairie Public Broadcasting. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(By: Jeff Beach. North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota lawmakers set state funding for public broadcasting at $400,000, providing money for tower improvements after threatening to cut off Prairie Public funding completely earlier in the session.

Gov. Kelly Armstrong had proposed $2.9 million in his preliminary budget for the 2025-27 biennium, with $1.7 million in one-time funding to assist with transmitter maintenance and replacement.

A bill mandating that Prairie Public funding be eliminated advanced through the House but was defeated in the Senate.

The Senate vote allowed lawmakers to restore funding in House Bill 1015. Some senators, however, advocated for cutting back on the Prairie Public appropriation.

The bill was amended in the Senate to provide $850,000 for Prairie Public, but did not restore its $1.2 million base funding. A conference committee cut the funding to $400,000 for infrastructure.