Ten months after Congress voted to rescind federal funds for public media, the former PBS affiliate at Eastern Illinois University will cease its televised broadcasting service today, May 15, 2026. For more than 40 years, WEIU has served eastern Illinois as a public television and radio station and a training ground for student journalists at Eastern Illinois University.
Illinois public radio and television stations immediately lost $24M in funding as part of an advanced two-year appropriation rescinded by Congress on July 18, 2025. For WEIU, the funding loss was $700,000 annually, approximately 80% of their budget. The station ended its PBS affiliation effective October 1, 2025, as a direct result of the loss of funding.
Last summer the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council (IPBC) forecasted that Illinois residents would be negatively impacted by reduced public media funding. Stations across the state have already reduced staff and programming to cut costs. Despite significant cost-cutting measures at WEIU, including staff reductions and the end of its PBS affiliation, the station announced it can no longer sustain over-the-air television broadcasting.
“WEIU-TV will no longer be broadcasting over the air as of 10 a.m. on May 15, 2026,” according to Jeff Owens, WEIU TV/FM general manager. “WEIU-TV will transition to a streaming service ‘WEIU Digital TV.’ WEIU radio is not affected by this change, and our commitment to the EIU student experience in news, radio, weather, and production will continue as well.”
Rural and underserved communities are being impacted the most by the loss of public media funding. “Illinois stations serve many rural communities, like Charleston, ensuring that Illinois residents have access to information that connects them to their community and beyond regardless of their income level or zip code,” says IPBC President Heather Norman. “Access to news and programming should not rely on a community’s access to high-speed internet.”
Norman adds, “Public radio and television stations provide free and accessible local journalism, emergency information, educational programming, and community storytelling to residents throughout the state. In many communities, these stations are among the few remaining local news outlets covering city councils, school boards, elections, and other civic institutions without a paywall.”
The loss of WEIU-TV’s over-the-air signal represents more than the closure of a television service. It is also a reduction in the local information and public service infrastructure serving eastern Illinois and a loss for Illinois’ broader public media network, which shares reporting resources and regional stories across communities statewide.
While IPBC is encouraged that WEIU’s student journalism programs and News Watch will continue digitally, the transition away from free over-the-air broadcasting highlights the growing challenges facing local public media stations following the loss of federal funding. IPBC encourages Illinois residents and policymakers to recognize the essential role public media plays in civic engagement, education, emergency communication, and access to trusted local information before more communities face similar reductions in service.
About IPBC
The Illinois Public Broadcasting Council consists of 13 public radio and television stations located throughout the state. Members include: Illinois Public Media at University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign, NPR Illinois at University of Illinois Springfield, Northern Public Media at Northern Illinois University, Tri States Public Radio at Western Illinois University, WBEZ Chicago Public Media, WCBU a joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University, WDCB at College of DuPage, WGLT at Illinois State University, WSIU at Southern Illinois University, WVIK at Augustana College, WTTW Chicago Public Television, and WTVP Peoria Public Television.