Sen. Tom Udall pledges to fight for public broadcasting

Sen. Tom Udall promised to stick up for federally funded media as Republicans push for deep cuts to public radio and television. 

During a speech at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference Tuesday, Udall said he will "fight for this critical funding as the budget process continues."

Proposed cuts could seriously damage some stations, according to Udall.

"Federal support for these stations can be 10 percent or more of their budget. These cuts would be disastrous for public broadcasting," he said. 

The cuts could also hurt broadcasters who don't take federal dollars, Udall said. 

"We won’t just lose ‘All Things Considered’ or ‘Sesame Street.’ We would also lose a consistent source of innovation for the broadcast industry," he said. 

Republicans proposed to slash funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in a spending bill that passed the House last month.