Your Brand Just Got Defunded. How Do You Respond?

Executive Orders from President Trump are becoming as common as the days of the week. In fact, those orders are more common than the days of the week. He signed a record 142 executive orders in the first 100 days of his current term. One of those lawful directives got the attention of the radio community last week. It made me ask, “What happens when they defund your budget”?

Thursday’s Executive Order instructs the Center for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to stop taxpayer funding of NPR (National Public Radio) and PBS (Public Broadcasting System). There will be no more acronym explanations in this blog. You can read the order in this link from the White House.

I’m not debating the action in this post. Like so many other Executive Orders, this one is getting legal recourse. It seems like the legal profession is lining up for business in Trump’s second term. If you follow the president’s comments about the Constitution and the Rule of Law, the lawyers are making the big decisions, too. If you’re pursuing a career in the legal profession, stick with your plan. It could pay off.

What happens when they cut your budget? This isn’t new for radio, media, or any sector of business…profit or non-profit. Restructuring is critical to a forward-thinking and efficient business model. However, those cuts must include aggressive communication about strategic changes. Otherwise, the eyes start to roll, and the cuts become an excuse not to perform. Yes, perform. Corporate still expects you to hit your goal despite the defunding of the marketing budget.

Renew your staff. Cuts to marketing, promotional, and operational budgets affect your team. This is the time to bring everyone together and communicate exactly why corporate needs that outdoor marketing line removed from the spreadsheet. Don’t be the manager who communicates only when the ratings are good. The team and players know what’s happening. If you don’t control the narrative, they will have room to change the story. Sidebar: Controlling the Narrative doesn’t mean changing the storyline. Honesty and transparency are necessary ingredients of integrity.

Reintroduce your brand. I’ve been a Harry’s razor blade client for 12 years after hearing our Dallas morning show host endorse the blade. Unless they change the blade or I find a better product, I don’t need the product reintroduced. However, Harry’s took advantage of an opportunity to introduce me to their complete line of products because of new packaging.

When your marketing budget gets cut, reintroduce your brand’s attributes and talent. During times of fragmented listening or increased competition, it’s more important to promote your difference and unique position in the marketplace. Thirty years ago, before the digital age, Radio stations had recognition issues. How much more entertainment and information noise clutters the consumer’s ears and eyes in 2025? It’s so much that the human attention span is now less than a goldfish. Good News: You have something radio brands didn’t have in 1995. Digital assets to reintroduce your brand and talent to a multi-layered audience.

Reinvent your strategy and tactics. Yes, you have email databases, social media followers, and blog & vlog fans to influence and engage. However, if your defunded marketing budget includes an outside campaign, how will you replace the impact? The loss of a billboard, TV, or digital marketing campaign is tough. It happens too often. The reaction to the loss, a non-verbal defeatist attitude, becomes more detrimental to your team.

If the $100k budget gets cut, then the result will be different…or should be. If not, you’ll likely get a visit from DOGE. Your new reality is a defunded marketing budget with the same performance expectations. Assemble your thinkers and reinvent your strategy beyond what’s coming out of the speakers and devices.