New executive order could kill Iowa high school sports on PBS broadcasting

Cut in federal funding to Corporation for Public Broadcasting could eliminate Iowa high school sports on PBS

Broadcast coverage of such events as Iowa high school state softball could be altered due to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that would cause issues with Iowa PBS. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

A recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump could impact the airing of Iowa high school sports on Iowa PBS in the future.

Earlier this year, an agreement between the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa PBS was passed that brings championships in football, wrestling and basketball under one broadcast partner.

The multi-year agreement is set to begin in the fall with the airing of state football games from the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Several girls state championships also air on the network.

But cuts to the funds provided to PBS television stations from the federal government could lead to an inability to effectively broadcast these events, which typically take several days to a week.

In an article on CNBC, a spokesperson for PBS said that “PBS is considering every option, including taking legal action, to allow our organization to continue to provide essential programming and services to member stations and all Americans.”

Iowa PBS has been airing girls high school championships for over a decade, providing live streaming as well.

“Girls’ sports weren’t being produced or broadcast consistently,” said Andrew Batt, executive director and general manager for the station. “We found an underserved audience there at a time prior to the explosion of interest in women’s athletics.”

Batt also said that several businesses help offset the cost of producing sports coverage, but added that a loss of any federal or state funding “would seriously undermine our ability to have the staff and resources” that goes into producing such content.

Several other states are also at risk of losing funding to produce state-level events including Nebraska, South Dakota and Arkansas.

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