WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced this week that its Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the organization, ending nearly six decades of overseeing federal support for public media. The decision comes after Congress rescinded all federal funding for CPB.
“For more than half a century, CPB existed to ensure that all Americans—regardless of geography, income, or background—had access to trusted news, educational programming, and local storytelling,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.”
The Trump administration and congressional supporters of the funding cut argued that NPR and PBS promote “radical, woke propaganda” and “left-wing bias” using taxpayer dollars.
“What has happened to public media is devastating,” said Ruby Calvert, chair of CPB’s Board of Directors. “After nearly six decades of innovative, educational public television and radio service, Congress eliminated all funding for CPB, leaving the Board with no way to continue the organization or support the public media system that depends on it. Yet, even in this moment, I am convinced that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address public media’s role in our country because it is critical to our children’s education, our history, culture and democracy to do so.”
CPB said it helped build and sustain a nationwide public media system of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated radio and television stations. The Board determined that without federal resources, maintaining the corporation as a nonfunctional entity would not serve the public interest or advance the goals of public media. A dormant, defunded CPB could have become vulnerable to political manipulation or misuse, threatening the independence of public media and the trust of audiences, and potentially exposing staff and board members to legal risks.
NPR and PBS as national networks continue to operate through private donations and foundation grants.
“Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy,” Harrison said. “Our hope is that future leaders and generations will recognize its value, defend its independence, and continue the work of ensuring that trustworthy, educational, and community-centered media remains accessible to all Americans.”
