What the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting means for Viewers Like You.
In fresh hell, Trump signed a law “clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting” this week. This move effectively decimates the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has conducted federal funds to NPR and PBS for nearly 60 years.
The administration has been open about its vindictive reasoning. The president has claimed that PBS and NPR are biased, even “monstrous,” institutions. And though public opinion is staunch and clear on this issue, Congress approved vast cutbacks.
This week, CPB leadership informed employees that the majority of staff positions will be eliminated by the close of the fiscal year—i.e., September 30, 2025.
So what does this mean for Viewers Like You, in the long and short terms?
The good news first. According to PBS, “roughly 70% of CPB money goes directly to the 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations across the country.” But certain big dogs, like the central and syndicated NPR of Morning Edition and All Things Considered, don’t ride or die on federal funding. The majority of their budgets come from corporate sponsorships. And You, the tote bag purchaser.
But even if the main brand is safe for now, defunding CPB will likely affect the quality of media from the bottom up. As PBS reports, NPR stations currently require “millions of dollars in federal money” to pay music licensing fees. Without these funds in place, a lot of the new music discovery and support apparatus is imperiled. Though All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk-heads may take heart in this reassurance.
More worrying is the news outside D.C. NPR’s 1000+ member stations don’t enjoy as many high-profile supporters. And though some stations, like Nashville Public Radio, have seen a short-term surge in donations following this crushing news, the word is especially bad for local public radio.
Programs in all 50 states will be affected. And per a fact sheet prepared by representatives who opposed this legislation in the Appropriations Committee, rural stations—which tend to rely on federal funding for at least 25% of their revenue—will be hit the hardest.
As Oliver Whang reported in The New Yorker this morning, stations like Allegheny Mountain Radio, a hyper-local station that leans on the CPB for roughly 60% of its budget, are directly threatened by the cuts. Which is ironic considering that the smallest stations have typically avoided engaging with exactly the kind of national politics that have got the GOP crying bias.
What’s worse? Those local stations have a broad on-the-ground impact. Many, like KGVA—a tribal radio station on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in northern Montana—provide emergency alerts in moments of crisis.
That’s thanks to the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), an NPR program that “helps send presidential emergency alerts to local public radio stations nationwide—allowing critical communications to reach people, even when the internet or cellular connections fail.” Recently, the PRSS provided real-time updates to over 18 million people during the California wildfires. And likewise, emergency radio alerts proved essential during Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
If you live in a small community, your local radio station will likely see cut-backs, lay offs, and possibly even have broadcasts stripped from the air. But what about PBS?
Once again, the national brand should stay intact. The NewsHour and Finding Your Roots won’t be immediately affected, thanks to a diverse set of funding streams. But local arts and culture coverage will face the axe.
A defunded CPB also means that federal support for PBS LearningMedia, a free digital learning tool for teachers and children that is currently accessed by more than 1.4 million users each month, will be sliced. The curricular aid is aimed at some real troublemakers: students, ages 2-8.
I note the irony again, that this move from a federal government hellbent on self-annihilation for favor of the states will mostly hurt those states. While NPR and PBS mainstays, with their popular national support, could well sail through these choppy waters with pledge drives.
The former has filed a lawsuit, so fingers crossed it doesn’t come to that. But in the meantime? If you’re thinking of giving to stations to weather this moment, go local.
