Public television station WUCF has announced the cancellation of its weekly program, “NewsNight,” following significant funding cuts at both the state and federal levels.
This year, the loss of federal funding for public broadcasting, coupled with reductions in state-level support, resulted in nearly $2.5 million in lost funding for Central Florida’s PBS station. “NewsNight” was known for bringing in journalists from various news outlets to discuss important topics such as education, politics, the environment, and other current events.
Host Steve Mort shared the news during the show’s final broadcast on October 31. “At WUCF, our mission is clear: we change lives. Right now, we find ourselves at a crossroads. WUCF’s recent loss of state and federal funding has forced us to make difficult decisions about how to best move forward with that mission,” he said.
Mort also expressed his gratitude to those who contributed to the program over the years. “I would like to extend my professional and personal gratitude to the many journalists who’ve joined us these last six years as we’ve dug deep into the issues impacting our community, highlighting the vital work of reporters in keeping our region of Central Florida informed.”
In a statement, WUCF emphasized that while “NewsNight” is ending, the station remains committed to its core mission. The statement reads, “Our goal is to refocus staff efforts to create regular content and resources that support lifelong learning in Central Florida. Throughout these changes, our mission remains unchanged. We are here for Central Florida—and we’re not going anywhere.”
They also appealed to the community for continued support, adding, “Your support means everything. If there’s ever been a time to stand with WUCF, it’s now.”
Rick Brunson, a senior instructor of journalism at UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media, reflected on the impact of the cancellation. “What I really liked about NewsNight is they would go in-depth on a particular story every week. They would bring reporters and journalists who cover those stories and those issues as a regular part of their daily job,” he said.
“You’re really able to wrap your head around some complex issues with perspectives from journalists who are there on the beat every day covering those particular things. I think that was a unique offering to the Central Florida audience, and it’s a real loss that it’s going off the air.”
Similarly, Central Florida Public Media, the greater Orlando area’s NPR affiliate, faced a funding gap of about $400,000 due to similar state and federal funding cuts. However, community members rallied to support the station financially, an effort Brunson described as “heartened” to witness.
“People are reacting to the loss of the state and federal funds, but I hope that people keep responding to sustain these jewels of public media in our community. WUCF and Central Florida Public Media both offer programming that you can’t get elsewhere in our community from other media,” he said.
“They go into depth. They spend more time on a story than is typically possible at other commercial outlets. They are highly valuable to our information ecosystem here.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/06/wucf-cancels-newsnight-due-to-federal-state-funding-cuts/