South Dakota Lawmakers Reject Gov. Noem’s Bid To Cut State’s Public Radio & TV

• The South Dakota Legislature rejected Governor Noem’s proposal to cut $3.61 million from South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s budget.
• Noem argued the cut would bring South Dakota’s per capita spending on public broadcasting closer to the national average.
• Opponents of the cut argued it would lead to significant reductions in local programming and layoffs.

PIERRE — A proposal to slash state funding for South Dakota Public Broadcasting has been rejected.

The South Dakota Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations voted Tuesday against implementing a $3.61 million cut to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, a radio, television and digital network within the state Bureau of Information and Telecommunications.

Then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem included the funding reduction ask in the state’s fiscal 2026 budget, along with a proposed $1 million to the State Library. The multimillion-dollar cut to SDPB’s budget would have accounted for 65% of its general funds.

“I propose reducing funding for South Dakota Public Broadcasting to bring us in line with the national average,” Noem said during her speech last fall. “Currently, South Dakota has the third highest per-capita funding of public broadcasting of any state in the nation. We’ve been paying more than double the national average.”

More: SDPB funding Gov. Noem wants to cut South Dakota’s public broadcasting’s budget. Here’s why

The fiscal shrink would have also been the largest levied at the network since 2006, when lawmakers shorted the network’s budget by $500,000. The legislature later reversed the funding pull within a matter of days after public outcry from constituents.

Julie Overgaard, SDPB’s executive director, told the Argus Leader in December the proposal would have led to “significant reductions” to the network’s local arts and culture programming and high school sports, education, public safety and live legislative coverage.

The cuts would have also forced SDPB to lay off most of its 64-member staff, including employees in its news gathering division. The reduction of state funding, Overgaard warned, could have also triggered another loss of $1 million in grant funding, as well as donations and major gifts.

Overgaard expressed her gratitude to appropriators in a Tuesday interview with the Argus Leader, saying the bipartisan vote to restore the funding “meant a lot.”

“They had a lot of pressure on them to fit this into the budget,” Overgaard said. “We are thrilled and over the moon about the decision today.”

Noem relinquished her position as governor of South Dakota in January to join President Donald Trump’s cabinet as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The former governor has previously sparred with the network. In the run-up to the 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election, she refused to participate in a debate with candidates Rep. Jamie Smith and Libertarian Tracey Quint. She claimed National Public Radio, of which SDPB is a member station, and SDPB itself were “leftist,” breaking a recent tradition in which Noem’s predecessors, former Govs. Mike Rounds and Dennis Daugaard, offered their competitors multiple debate chances.

Noem’s proposal parallels the targeted pressure on NPR and PBS by the Trump administration. Federal Communications Commission President Brendan Carr in January announced an investigation into the network’s underwriting announcements, while U.S. Republican lawmakers have filed legislation to end federal funding to the outlets.

Overgaard said she believes there will be a national conversation around NPR and PBS’ federal funding but felt the dialogue around SDPB “resonated with our local legislature.”

“I think it’s a win for South Dakotans,” Overgaard said.

Alice Mannette contributed to this article.