In the wake of devastating federal cuts to public broadcasting, Report for America is responding by taking urgent action to ensure Alaskans continue to receive essential news and information. The national service program will immediately support two full-time reporters in public radio stations KRBD (CoastAlaska) in Ketchikan and KOTZ in Kotzebue.

Report for America will cover 100% of their salaries and benefits in their first year — a cost typically shared between the organization and host newsroom partners. The stations will also receive training and mentorship for these journalists, along with hands-on support for the newsrooms from Report for America to help them become more financially sustainable.
Desiree Hagen, who already worked at KOTZ as news director and the station’s only reporter, became a Report for America corps member in early August. Hunter Morrison will join KRBD in October.

Public Media’s Unique Role in Alaska
In Alaska, public radio is more than a news source; it’s a lifeline. Stations often serve as the primary, and sometimes only, reliable communication channel for communities spread across vast, remote and often roadless regions. Public radio delivers not just local news, but critical daily information, from emergency alerts to subsistence fishing updates, weather warnings and school closures.

The recent federal funding cuts threaten to unravel that system. Unlike in the Lower 48, where philanthropic funding is more concentrated, Alaska’s public media landscape has far fewer resources to draw upon. Many stations serve geographically isolated communities where public radio is the sole provider of timely, trusted information.

“When the cuts came, it was clear that some communities could lose their only dependable source of news and emergency information,” said Kim Kleman, executive director of Report for America. “We knew we had to act quickly — because in Alaska, losing a station doesn’t just mean losing journalism, it means losing a critical lifeline.”

Why KRBD and KOTZ
KRBD, part of the CoastAlaska network, serves the southern tip of the state, providing news to Ketchikan and surrounding island communities. KOTZ broadcasts across the Northwest Arctic Borough, where weather and emergency updates can be a matter of safety and survival.
Both stations will integrate the reporters into their local coverage, expanding reporting capacity in regions where newsrooms are stretched thin and where coverage gaps would be especially harmful.

“Our radio station and newsroom faced a crisis from the loss of federal CPB funding,” said Hagen, news director and the only reporter at KOTZ in Kotzebu. “Initially we were told by the board and leadership that we would have to close the radio station within the next year. This would mean the Northwest Arctic – a region larger than Indiana, primarily consisting of Alaska Native people – would lose their only local news source. This funding from Report for America ensures that our small, one-person newsroom can continue to provide quality journalism and emergency information for years to come. The funding prevents the voices of rural Alaska and the Arctic from going silent.”

“Report for America responded when we needed them most. KRBD was in the middle of hiring a reporter when funding was cut, leaving some 20,000 people in southern Southeast Alaska without our essential local news coverage,” said Mike Gates, general manager at KRBD. “With Report for America’s generous support, KRBD can maintain a working newsroom, covering a wealth of important stories – we’re very excited and grateful to be working with Report for America.”

About Report for America
Report for America is a philanthropically supported national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across the United States and its territories. By creating a new, sustainable model for journalism, Report for America provides people with the information they need to improve their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and restore trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up. Learn more: reportforamerica.org