JASON SETNYK
Mark Prasuhn, President and General Manager of WPBS-TV, delivered a candid update on the state of public broadcasting during a recent presentation to the Rotary Club of Cornwall at the Best Western Parkway Inn.
Prasuhn, who has led the Watertown-based PBS affiliate since 2019, described WPBS as a unique “two-nation station,” serving Northern New York and Eastern Ontario. With one of the highest percentages of Canadian members of any PBS station, WPBS has deliberately expanded its Canadian storytelling in recent years.
In an interview following his remarks, Prasuhn stressed the broader importance of public television in 2026.
“Public media serves a really indispensable and unique role,” he said. “That’s quite separate and different from commercial media.”
He noted that public broadcasting reaches audiences often overlooked by advertisers. “We reach the underserved, we reach preschool kids. We reach older audiences that are not high value to advertisers,” he said. “So we are helping the communities in so many different ways all through this region.”
That mission has grown more challenging following U.S. federal funding cuts last summer that affected PBS member stations nationwide.
“All PBS stations experienced the funding cut back in July of last year,” Prasuhn said. “We have had to adjust and make a lot of changes. We had to do some restructuring, and we’ve shifted our services a bit.”
At WPBS, that meant reducing staff by roughly one-third and relying more heavily on member donations and foundation support. Still, he emphasized that core services remain intact.
“We’ve been really dedicated to protecting the core services – the local content, the educational services, the programs for kids, and the general audience programming,” he said. “All of that is still there, not going anywhere.”
Prasuhn called the cuts “unfortunate” and “a little bit short-sighted,” but added, “Political decisions happen, and we’ve just had to adjust.”
During his Rotary presentation, he explained that WPBS lost approximately 30 per cent of its funding almost overnight due to a federal rescission measure. Smaller rural stations were hit hardest, some losing more than half their budgets.
Despite that, membership has rebounded. When Prasuhn arrived in 2019, WPBS had just under 5,000 members. Today, that number exceeds 9,200.
The station has also expanded its regional engagement. Since the pandemic, WPBS has stepped up its presence in Ontario, covering events such as the Akwesasne Pow Wow, Kingston’s Princess Street Promenade, and the Ottawa Children’s Festival. It works with local producers and partners, including Akwesasne TV, to share Indigenous stories across its platforms.
“We are very much focused on Eastern Ontario as well as Northern New York,” Prasuhn said. “They are kind of two sides of the coin for our reality.”
Asked about parallels in Canada amid debates over funding for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Prasuhn was careful not to offer direct advice but praised the institution’s role.
“It is a great institution,” he said. “The role they serve mirrors PBS’s role in the United States. It is unique. It is a piece of the market that is not necessarily going to be served well by commercial interests.”
Prasuhn also reflected on his personal connection to the station’s cross-border audience. Before leading WPBS, he had been familiar with the station as a university student in Kingston and later through family ties in Ontario. That experience, he said, reinforced the importance of strengthening Canadian partnerships and ensuring Eastern Ontario communities see themselves reflected in WPBS programming.
As viewing habits shift, he acknowledged the challenge of competing in a digital-first media landscape. While traditional broadcast remains important, WPBS has invested in streaming and on-demand services. “All media companies have had to adjust and really embrace streaming,” he said, noting that while live streaming is restricted in Canada due to rights agreements, viewers can still access significant content online.
Prasuhn closed his Rotary remarks with a phrase circulating among public broadcasters in recent months: “Defunded, but not defeated.”
For a station that has served the region since the 1970s, he made clear the commitment remains unchanged – to tell local stories, support education, and connect communities on both sides of the border.
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