When disaster struck, public radio showed why it’s so necessary for North Carolina | Opinion

In the mountains of western North Carolina, we’re no stranger to severe weather. But when Hurricane Helene tore through our region, it didn’t just down trees and knock out power — it severed the entire communication infrastructure for thousands and seriously damaged the City of Asheville’s water system, leaving about 100,000 residents without access to clean drinking water for over 50 days. Roads were impassable, phone service was spotty and people needed real-time information to stay safe and make decisions.

In that moment, Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) became a lifeline.

Our reporters worked around the clock to provide updates on shelter openings, flood reports, power restoration timelines and emergency instructions. The BPR newsroom was a frontline news resource for residents and national audiences alike.

We weren’t alone in that effort. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) stepped in quickly, providing emergency grant support that helped us stay on the air and continue serving our community during those critical days. That support paid for fuel for our generators, overtime for reporters and technical infrastructure needed to keep our signal up.

Long after the national media packed up their cameras and algorithms steered audiences to more sensational stories, we stayed. We stayed because we live here. We’re your neighbors, and we were impacted by the storm just like everyone else. We know that recovery doesn’t follow a news cycle — it follows the slow, determined path of community.

While Hurricane Helene was singular in western North Carolina, the critical role of public media is universal. Across the country, public media tells stories that would otherwise go untold. Not because they aren’t important, but because commercial outlets don’t have the capacity — or incentive — to cover long-haul recovery in rural America.

Just last month, CPB awarded a grant to Blue Ridge Public Radio to support local journalism focused on recovery efforts. That funding will help us report on the rebuilding of schools and homes, the economic impacts on local businesses, the gaps in aid access and the resilience of mountain communities determined to come back stronger.

Blue Ridge Public Radio serves a region that’s often underrepresented and underserved by national and commercial news. From the heart of Asheville to the farthest reaches of the Smokies, our listeners rely on us not only for daily news and cultural programming, but for timely, reliable and potentially life-saving information when crisis strikes.

Federal funding for CPB is modest — just $1.60 per American per year — but its impact is enormous. Especially in rural areas like ours, that investment goes a long way.

When Congress debates whether or not to continue funding CPB, we hope they’ll remember moments like Hurricane Helene.

Because in that moment, the question wasn’t whether we were red or blue, urban or rural. The question was: “Can we reach people in time to help?”

Thanks to our team — and thanks to CPB’s support — the answer was yes.

Emergency response, sustained local journalism, and trusted service to the public — this is what CPB funding makes possible. And this is what stands to be lost if that funding is eliminated.

We’re ready to keep doing the work. We just need the tools to do it.

Correction: An earlier version of this op-ed misstated the number of residents Hurricane Helene left without clean drinking water from the City of Asheville’s water system. The correct number is 100,000.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.