"It will test every single shred of creativity we have to continue to try to serve our mission," says one public media executive, as Congress ends federal funding for public broadcasting.

About 1,500 public broadcasters nationwide face severe budget cuts after the Senate voted Thursday to claw back $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The rescissions revised package passed by a vote of 51-48, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats in voting against it.

"Like the people who turned Louisiana from a mosquito-ridden wilderness into a hospitable haven, we'll adapt and make the most of what we have," KRVS general manager said.

Public broadcasting stations in the state are bracing for big changes. In Moline, WQPT’s general manager Dawn Schmitt said the TV station expects to have to cut staffing — and the amount of community service it provides.

The federal money is appropriated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes it to NPR and PBS. Roughly 70% of the money goes directly to the 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations across the country, although that’s only a shorthand way to describe its potential impact.

North Carolina’s public broadcasters face federal funding cuts as House lawmakers prepare for final vote. Learn how it could affect NPR and PBS services.

The rescissions package the Senate approved early Thursday pulls more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that provides federal funding for NPR and PBS.