You may not have seen this coming, but GWAR‘s Blothar the Berzerker has served up one of the biggest musical endorsements so far while championing the fight for public media funding amidst the threat of potentially massive budget cuts.
It’s not every day that Blothar and Mr. Rogers are thought of in the same conversation, but the GWAR frontman makes a very compelling and public plea for mass action before devastating action is taken toward the financial backing of public media providers.
What Is Public Media?
Public media refers to the system of media outlets, mostly radio and TV stations as well as some podcasts, that operate with a public service mission rather than focusing on turning a commercial profit.
These outlets tend to serve the public interest through education, informative and culturally relevant programming.
Per the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, since the 1920s, people across the U.S. have used public media broadcasting services to advance high quality programming, respond to community needs and to serve all Americans.
In the U.S., PBS and NPR have been the primary providers of public media. with shows such as Sesame Street, NOVA, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and others over the years providing educational and developmental programming.
Public broadcasters operate as a non-partisan entity with contributions to national identity and sense of community at the forefront. They typically receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions and donations, public financing and corporate underwriting.
What GWAR’s Blothar Said About Public Media’s Current Challenge
With voting coming up soon on public media’s funding, Blothar laid out the challenge at hand in speaking to fans and attempting to rally support against the proposed budgetary cuts to public media.
His full commentary can be viewed below:
Humans,
This is the Berzerker Blothar of GWAR and I’m here to talk to you about public media. Public media is in danger.
You know many years ago my personal friend, the great Fred Rogers, he testified in Congress about the value of public media, about how important it was in children’s lives. He famously secured funding for National Public Radio because he was able to demonstrate that it makes a difference and that’s important. Mr. Rogers brought love and light into the world, into a dark and hateful world.
Well now that is on the chopping block right now, things like that. The Senate will vote on a House-passed Rescissions Act this week that will eliminate 1.1 billion dollars in already approved funding for public media. This would strip essential services. It could force rural stations to go off the air entirely. They won’t be able to pay licensing fees the same way they did for music. This could very well silence the music.
I’ll tell you what else. It’s going to take away art and culture or at least access to that from the lives of people who need it and benefit from it.
Rise up, people! In the name of Fred Rogers! In the name of Big Bird! In the drunken Lady Elaine Fairchild! Changes to this bill are still possible. Now is the time to urge your senators to remove the proposal that targets public media in the package of this Big Beautiful Bill.
I urge you to go to protectmypublicmedia.org and get some information on how you can urge Congress to save public media. Call your senators. Make a difference. Do it now because there’s not a lot of time.
Thank you!
What’s At Stake With Public Media Funding Cuts
Per the Protect My Public Media site, federal funding amounts to about $1.60 per person annually and that makes public media possible.
The investment directly supports your local stations and the loss of funding could impact things ranging from access to life-saving emergency alerts to educational resources for children, families and educators, workforce training and certification programs, local journalism, high schools sports coverage and community storytelling.
Back in May, the current administration issued an executive order to prevent NPR and PBS from receiving funding, directly or through federal funds used for membership dues.
READ MORE: How GWAR’s Blothar Learned to Scream
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has responded that it is, “not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private, nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.”
The Executive Order, combined with other actions, signals a broader effort to dismantle public media by eliminating federal funding for public media stations and the system at large.
It should be noted that the Senate is expected to visit the proposal shortly and a final package concerning the potential cuts must be approved by both chambers by July 18.
What You’ll Find at the Protect My Public Media Website
Taking action to let your voice be heard is the best approach that can happen here. The Protectmypublicmedia.org website offers a variety ways in which you can do that.
They offer resources to help you to email your senators, encourage you to film short videos sharing your personal stories of what public media has meant to you and offer you tips on how to do so and they provide you with the latest info of what’s at stake if public media funding is slashed so you can educated yourself on the current challenges.
GWAR in 2025
GWAR will be returning to the road in September, kicking off shows on Sept. 17 in Pontiac, Mich. North American tour dates are currently booked through Nov. 22 in Norfolk, Va. All dates and ticketing information can be found through the band’s website.
The dates come as the band is preparing to release The Return of Gor Gor on July 25. It features the song “The Great Circus Train Disaster.” In addition, fans can also look for a The Return of Gor Gor comic shipping the week of July 25 as well.
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum
Great Job Chad Childers & the Team @ Loudwire Source link for sharing this story.
