NPR CEO Katherine Maher gives her opening statement at today's House DOGE Committee hearing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I am pleased to introduce our witnesses today. Paula Kerger is the President and Chief Executive
00:05Officer of the Public Broadcasting Service, also known as PBS. Catherine Marr is the President
00:12and Chief Executive Officer of National Public Radio, also known as NPR. Mike Gonzalez is
00:20the Angeles T. Arradonado E. Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
00:29Ted Ullman is the President and CEO of Alaska Public Media. Again, I want to thank you all
00:35for being here to testify today. Pursuant to Committee Rule 9G, the witnesses will please
00:41stand and raise their right hand. Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony that you
00:51are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help
00:56you God. Let the record show that the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Thank you. You
01:03may take a seat. We appreciate you being here today and look forward to your testimony.
01:10Let me remind the witnesses that we have read your written statement and it will appear
01:15in full in the hearing record. Please limit your oral statement to five minutes. As a
01:22reminder, please press the button on the microphone in front of you so that it is on and the members
01:28can hear you. When you begin to speak, the light in front of you will turn green. After
01:34four minutes, the light will turn yellow. When the red light comes on, your five minutes
01:40have expired and we would ask that you please do your best to wrap up. I now recognize Catherine
01:46Marr for her opening statement.
01:50Chairwoman Green, Ranking Member Lynch, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee,
01:55my name is Catherine Marr and I am the President and CEO of National Public Radio and I welcome
02:00the opportunity to discuss the essential role of public media in delivering unbiased, nonpartisan,
02:07and fact-based reporting to Americans. Americans listen to public radio as they commute, as
02:12they work, and in the kitchen as they cook with family. Nearly 100% of Americans live
02:17within range of a public radio station. We cover what matters to local communities, crop
02:22prices, cook-offs, and local sports teams alongside news of the nation and the world
02:27from the halls of Congress to coverage of our troops overseas. Today, Americans have
02:32more media choices than ever. The rise of podcasting has established a competitive free
02:37market for audio news and information. And every day, I am honored to know that we have
02:4343 million listeners from every state in the nation. Amidst this competition, local stations
02:49choose to become members of NPR for the value we provide. For example, we are the only non-paywalled
02:55news outlet with a dedicated reporter covering veterans' issues. While NPR is only 25% of
03:02American programming on average, audiences for NPR bring the scale and revenue that subsidize
03:07essential local programming. Local public media journalism has never been more important
03:12to American families, who consider it part of the fabric of their communities. It correlates
03:16with higher rates of civic engagement, greater civic cohesion, and economic advantages, such
03:21as better municipal bond ratings. Recent independent polling found that more than 60% of all Americans
03:27and more than half of Republicans trust public broadcasting to deliver fact-based news.
03:33I understand the subcommittee has questions about funding for NPR and public radio. The
03:38vast majority of federal dollars, more than $100 million of the $121 million annual appropriation
03:44for public radio, goes directly to 386 local, non-commercial stations across the nation.
03:51This highly efficient investment enables your local stations to raise an average of $7 for
03:56every federal dollar. As a grantee of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR received
04:02federal funding of $11.2 million last year. These funds allow us to maintain the national
04:08public radio satellite system, helping safeguard our national security, civil defense, and
04:13disaster response, and enabling public radio to reach every corner of America. Additionally,
04:19these funds help protect journalists covering our troops overseas and reverse the decline
04:23of local journalism. As a recipient of federal funds, it is our responsibility to answer
04:29legitimate questions about why public funds should go to NPR, whether we are truly committed
04:33to serving all Americans, and whether the institution is an effective steward of taxpayer
04:38dollars. I hear, respect, and understand your concerns regarding bias and whether public
04:44media is relevant in a commercial landscape, and I'd like to spend a minute sharing with
04:48you my actions to address your concerns. First, it is critical for NPR's newsroom to
04:53operate with the highest journalistic standards. That means that they do their jobs independently,
04:58and as CEO, I have no editorial role at NPR. In other words, I do not decide what we cover
05:04or how we cover it. I lead NPR's strategy, ensuring we have resources and policies in
05:09place to serve all Americans, not just those with a specific point of view. I was brought
05:14into NPR to revive and reorient the organization and bring public media to a wider audience,
05:20a new generation, and new platforms. We have a responsibility to serve Americans across
05:24the full political spectrum in a trustworthy, nonpartisan fashion. It is essential that
05:30we deliver on this commitment, and we have work to do, and we are doing it. In May, we
05:34launched an initiative to improve our editorial review processes to make sure all pieces are
05:39fair and comprehensive. We hired new editors and analysts to ensure we're giving fair air
05:44time to different voices and issues. We started regular meetings with our nearly 200 local
05:49newsrooms so we can plan together for the needs of their audiences, and the early results
05:54are positive. Our digital platforms, where we have the best data about our listeners,
05:59the political beliefs of our visitors mirror the makeup of the country across the ideological
06:04spectrum, and we're seeing growth in readers and listeners. I joined NPR because I believe
06:10that our strong and dynamic nation deserves great public media for all. Americans are
06:15smart and curious, and they want us to cover issues that matter, from the price of eggs
06:20to national security. It's our job to deliver truthful facts and information so citizens
06:25can make up their own minds. I believe Americans voted for a transformative administration,
06:31and it is our responsibility to cover that transformation fairly, with integrity and
06:36tenacity. I have been CEO for one year and one day. I have made changes to leadership
06:41and planning, invested in editorial integrity, committed to expanding our audiences and our
06:46relevance for all Americans. While we have taken significant steps in the right direction,
06:50the journey can't be completed overnight. Given the support that 75 percent of Americans
06:55have for public media, I ask Congress to give us the opportunity to continue to serve the
06:59American public. I invite you to listen with a fresh ear, and to that end, our newsroom
07:04invites you to join us on air, and I welcome your questions.