South Dakota lawmakers questioned South Dakota Public Broadcasting leaders Wednesday about whether state funds could be shifted among programs—and whether new fees for sports broadcasts could help offset a major loss of federal funding.
The discussion came during a Joint Appropriations Committee hearing, months after SDPB lost about $2.3 million per year, or roughly 20% of its budget, when Congress eliminated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Sen. John Carley, R‑Piedmont, asked whether SDPB could reduce or replace certain services, including legislative coverage or national NPR/PBS programming.
SDPB Executive Director Julie Overgaard said the network cannot easily separate programs because the same staff and infrastructure support multiple services.
Sen. Taffy Howard floated another idea: charging subscription fees for high school sports broadcasts, similar to models in other states. Overgaard said SDPB has explored options but warned that technical, contractual, and mission constraints limit what the network can do.
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