The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Guest: Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR
Episode Date: September 6, 2025

Episode Overview

In this extended interview, Stephen Colbert sits down with Katherine Maher, the CEO and President of NPR and former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. The conversation centers on the challenges facing public media in the United States amidst severe funding cuts, the irreplaceable role of local NPR stations, and why public media is essential to the health of America’s democracy and communities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Katherine Maher’s Role at NPR

• [02:01] Stephen kicks off with humor, asking if Maher picks out NPR’s famous tote bags.
• [02:18] Maher explains her real job: defending public media at a time when its very existence is being questioned.
  • “The first thing I ended up having to do was defend public media in this moment in time when there has been so much, so many questions about why we should even exist.” — Katherine Maher [02:18]

2. Impact of Congressional Funding Cuts

• [02:45] Colbert notes that Congress recently cut $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which underpins both NPR and PBS.
• [03:03] Maher confirms that CPB will be folding due to the lack of federal funding, describing the loss as “enormous.”
  • “They rely entirely on federal funds. … They are also the primary funder of independent documentary filmmaking in this country. … It is an enormous loss to see them disappear.” — Katherine Maher [03:06]

3. The Scope and Vulnerability of Local NPR Stations

• [03:32] NPR has 246 member stations—almost everywhere in the U.S.
• [03:54] Maher warns that 70–80 stations are likely to go out of business because of the cuts.
  • “The current estimate on the radio side is somewhere between 70 to 80 will go out of business.” — Katherine Maher [03:54]

4. The Decline of Local News & Democratic Health

• [04:24] Maher stresses that one in five Americans lack access to local news, making NPR’s local stations even more vital.
  • “What that means is they don’t have anyone covering their local PTA… the issues of how they're for, or the issues of what prices look like in terms of agricultural and commodity sales. And that really matters.” — Katherine Maher [04:44]
• NPR stations help combat polarization by fostering trust and civic engagement at the local level—something “incredibly damaging” to lose.
  • “…the decline of local news in this country correlates with higher rates of polarization, lower trust in civic institutions, [and] lower trust in the very institution of democracy itself.” — Katherine Maher [05:20]

5. The Value of Unique, Local Programming

• [06:03–07:09] Colbert and Maher riff on the unique local shows only possible through public radio, like South Carolina's “Dr. Walter Edgar’s Journal” and Alaska’s lost-and-found announcements.
  • “That’s where—you can only get that on your local NPR station.” — Stephen Colbert [06:50]
  • Maher describes the “Lost Dog Report,” mittens lost in Utah, and swap-and-sell programs in Alaska as examples of deep, hyper-local community service at NPR stations.

6. Local Public Media and American Values

• [07:39–08:07] Colbert points out the irony: those who call for "old-fashioned values" are gutting the very institutions that foster them.
  • “Those seem like old-fashioned values. The little, the small town memories of their childhoods, what they’re trying to get America back to. And that’s it.” — Stephen Colbert [07:47]
  • Maher jokes: “My apple pie cooling on my windowsill right now.”—Katherine Maher [08:07]

7. Why Some Want to Undermine Public Media

• [08:11] Colbert asks why some politicians target public media.
• Maher responds that public media acts as social glue, connecting diverse communities and letting Americans see each other’s shared interests and humanity.
  • “…when we do our jobs right, you really have to listen to a person. … you can fundamentally disagree with something someone says, but you can’t deny their empathy or humanity. And that is such a powerful tool.” — Katherine Maher [09:05]
  • She warns that undermining this tool makes it easier for bad actors to exploit social divisions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can drive from here all the way to the other side, hit the Pacific, and almost never miss a beat [of NPR coverage].” — Katherine Maher [03:40]
• “When you take away local news and when you take away local public radio, what you’re really doing is undercutting our ability to trust one another, those of us who we’ve never met, to talk about how we want to live together.” — Katherine Maher [05:30]
• “You can only get that on your local NPR station.” — Stephen Colbert [06:50]
• “If you’re seeking to create some sort of advantage in societies that are fractured and splintered, taking away this tool that allows us to see one another as fellow citizens, fellow Americans, it’s a really powerful advantage.” — Katherine Maher [09:48]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:01 – Maher on her real role as NPR CEO.
• 02:45 – The consequences of Congressional funding cuts.
• 03:32–03:54 – Number of NPR stations at risk of closure.
• 04:24–05:53 – The impact of local news decline and civic trust.
• 06:03–07:09 – Examples of unique and community-driven NPR programming.
• 07:39–08:10 – Local media, nostalgia, and “old-fashioned values.”
• 08:11–09:48 – Why some seek to stop civic engagement through public media.

Closing Thoughts

Maher and Colbert deliver a compelling, sobering, yet witty discussion about the value of public media and the threat posed by funding cuts. The episode lays bare not only the stakes for NPR and public radio but also the broader implications for democracy and American community life. Maher leaves listeners with a sense of urgency about the vital role local journalism and public radio play in connecting and informing America.