These rural radio stations are a lifeline for their communities. Trump’s cuts threaten their future

A house is reflected in a car's rearview mirror, on the Navajo Nation, on the outskirts of Window Rock, Arizona, on 11 October 2024. Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Since Republicans last month slashed over $1bn in funds designated for public broadcasting, non-commercial TV and radio stations around the country have been reeling.

The cuts led the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nearly 60-year-old organization that has long supported local TV and radio stations across the US, to shut down operations entirely, leaving more than 1,500 local stations nationwide without a critical source of income.