Governor asks New Mexico lawmakers to fund tribal media

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By Bella Davis, New Mexico In Depth

January 29, 2026

Tribal media stations in New Mexico could receive about $430,000 as soon as this summer, if the Legislature embraces Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recommendation to help fill in federal funding gaps.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on January 27, 2026, by New Mexico In Depth. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

In Native communities nationwide, tribal stations provide a wide range of services that are often hard to come by in remote areas where cell reception and Wi-Fi can be spotty or nonexistent. They share emergency weather and missing persons alerts and notices about events, elections, and public health, and some — including KTDB-FM serving the Navajo community of Ramah, in western New Mexico — broadcast primarily in their Native languages, contributing to revitalization efforts. 

“We strongly believe that an informed society, which includes tribal communities, can be strong and robust and healthy if they receive information in real time that can help them to make really important decisions, whether it’s about government or their health, the economy, and so these stations are there for the civic health of their community,” Loris Taylor (Hopi/Acoma) said in an interview. 

Taylor is the president and CEO of Native Public Media, which supports radio and TV stations licensed either to tribes, tribal nonprofits, or educational institutions located on tribal lands. There are four such local operations in New Mexico, according to the organization, serving two Navajo communities, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and Zuni Pueblo.

But like all public media following the end of federal funding last year, their future has been uncertain.

Last summer, shortly before Congress voted to rescind $1.1 billion already appropriated for public media, a South Dakota senator announced he’d made a deal with the White House for the Interior Department to funnel $9.4 million in previously appropriated funding to tribal stations. Because it’s a one-time infusion, though, questions and concerns about funding after this year remain.

The stations, including those in New Mexico, were anywhere from 40-100% dependent on federal funding, Taylor said. Native Public Media surveyed the 36 tribal stations that have been impacted by the rescission, and the majority said they only expected to be operational for another six months to two years.

New Mexico has responded.

During the first of two special sessions held in 2025, the state set aside $429,600 for public TV and radio stations run by tribes, along with about $5.56 million for other stations. 

If another round of funding makes it into the state budget, the Indian Affairs Department will be tasked with doling it out. The agency has already distributed the money appropriated last year to the Jicarilla Apache Nation’s KCIE-FM and Zuni Pueblo’s KSHI-FM, according to spokesperson Paris Wise.

Tribal stations were underfunded even before last year’s cuts, so the state’s support is desperately needed, Taylor said. 

“I think the smart move is for New Mexico to continue funding the media infrastructure so that they’re not constantly looking at the federal government for funding because it now has other priorities, although I’m hoping and I continue to petition the federal government to fund tribal stations as part of their trust obligation to tribal nations,” she said.