WGTE and the 2026 Public Media Landscape

By Shane Potgieter 
Director of Content & Creative Services

From Uncertainty to Optimism

WGTE Public Media enters 2026 facing a vastly different landscape than the one we saw in 2025, one in which uncertainty is tempered by optimism and a renewed sense of purpose.

Like most public media outlets across the country, WGTE Public Media had included funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in our annual budgeting. In 2025, however, the CPB lost its federal funding and was forced to close. The impact on WGTE was immediate and severe, as we lost $1.2 million in revenue – 21% of our annual revenue budget.

We joined many other public media outlets in a campaign letting our viewers and listeners know that we are not going anywhere, and that we remained committed to providing our region with the programming they rely on for information, education and inspiration. Our efforts were rewarded in ways that were truly gratifying, as people throughout the area stepped up with both moral support and humbling generosity. New individuals became members, existing members signed up at higher levels and more households and businesses made significant contributions. While the increased support didn’t supplant the loss, it gave us renewed optimism as we sought a path forward.

Validating Our Local-First Initiative

The outpouring of support we received was humbling, and it served to reinforce the foundational idea behind public media: the relationship between the public and public media is a symbiotic one. The people of our region sustain us financially because we sustain them culturally, and it is incumbent upon us to deliver programming that meets them where they are. 

While PBS and NPR shows are central to our broadcast schedule, it is our local programming that resonates most strongly with the people of this region. For over 20 years, our long-running Toledo Stories documentaries have shone a bright light on neighborhoods, ethnic communities and regional institutions. Toledo Stories remains a mainstay of our schedule, as people throughout northwest Ohio discover and rediscover the people and institutions that make our area extraordinary, and we’re constantly finding new avenues to pursue for future programs.

In addition, programs like To the Point with Doni Miller explore the issues that are shaping our community. We spotlight the region’s vibrant classical music scene each week on FM 91’s WGTE in Concert series. In the digital space, we have been able to amplify even more perspectives through our local podcasts, including our Voices Around Us platform. WGTE has partnered with content creators whose unique perspectives shine a light on everything from the environment and economy to the arts and culture to mental and physical health, and all these topics are delivered with a hyperlocal focus. 

Coming into 2026 More Local Than Ever

The new year sees us continuing to expand our emphasis on telling local stories, with two bold new initiatives beginning in January 2026. The Four Hundred & Nineteen powered by WGTE offers a fresh, smart take on the local scene. Each weekday, our hosts interview the people who help make this region outstanding, from business and civic leaders to nonprofit changemakers. Their conversations also go beyond their guests’ resumes to reveal the humans behind their public personas – their back stories, their everyday lives and their hopes for the future. By infusing their discussions with humor and heart, our hosts reveal a great deal about the soul of our community. 

The Local Thread is a new community news series in which trusted local voices talk with people from across the region, discussing the issues that matter most to northwest Ohio. Each weekday features conversations led by a different host or organization, including reporters from La Prensa, The Sojourner’s Truth and The Toledo Free Press, as well as veteran journalist Jerry Anderson and representatives from Toledo Public Schools.

Digital-First for Increased Engagement

Both these new projects are part of our digital-first approach. The Four Hundred & Nineteen appears first on our YouTube channel before airing on FM 91 then WGTE Connects (Channel 30.4). The Local Thread appears first each morning on all major podcast platforms and is then broadcast on FM 91. We believe this represents an exciting opportunity for us to ensure that our hyperlocal programming meets people where they are. By making our programming available digitally, users have even more opportunities to hear from the people who are driving change throughout our region. In the process, we hope they can feel more engaged with their community and more connected to the mission of WGTE. 

Navigating Public Media’s Future 

So, while local programming has always been a key component of everything we do, we are more inspired than ever to stay as relevant as possible for the people and population who have sustained us for so long – and whose generosity and support were all the more meaningful in the past year. As outlets across the country reassess their role and double down on hyperlocal storytelling, we aim to contribute to that momentum, learning from peers while also serving as an example of how deeply rooted, community-centered media can remain relevant, trusted and resilient.