The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced on Friday that it will begin an “orderly wind-down” of its operations after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in federal funding for the organization in July.
The closure represents a significant victory for President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who have long criticized public broadcasting as politically biased.
The Corporation of Public Broadcasting began during the height of the Great Society era when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 on November 7, creating what he envisioned as an institution to “enrich man’s spirit.” The legislation emerged from recommendations by the Carnegie Commission on Educational Television, which sought to improve television quality by expanding educational programming beyond commercial broadcasting’s limitations.
The Public Broadcasting Act established CPB as a private, nonprofit corporation designed to serve as a buffer between government funding and programming decisions. This structure aimed to ensure editorial independence while providing federal support for educational and cultural programming that commercial broadcasters couldn’t profitably deliver.
Over nearly six decades, CPB evolved into the steward of America’s public broadcasting system, distributing federal funds to more than 1,500 locally-owned public television and radio stations that collectively reached 98% of the U.S. population. The organization provided approximately $535 million annually, approximately $1.60 per American, to support public media infrastructure and programming.
The organization helped create and sustain some of America’s most beloved and trusted programming, including NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition,” PBS’s “NewsHour,” “NOVA,” “Frontline,” and historically, cultural touchstones like “Sesame Street,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and Ken Burns documentaries.
The corporation’s mission emphasized serving unserved and underserved audiences, with particular attention to children, minorities, and rural communities. CPB supported minority program consortia representing African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander producers, ensuring diverse voices had platforms in public media.
Beyond entertainment and education, CPB-funded stations served as crucial emergency infrastructure, particularly in rural areas where commercial media presence was limited. Public radio and television stations operated the Emergency Alert System, providing life-saving information during natural disasters, power outages, and other crises.
During Hurricane Helene, Blue Ridge Public Radio provided critical updates to Asheville, North Carolina residents who lost cell service. In Alaska, public media stations delivered tsunami alerts following a magnitude-7.3 earthquake. The 2022 Alliance of Rural Public Media report found that rural public radio stations frequently served as the sole source of information during emergencies when power or cell towers failed.
Some stations depended heavily on CPB funding, with more than 90% of their budgets coming from federal sources. Tribal stations were particularly vulnerable, with many receiving approximately half their funding from CPB.
Republican opposition to public broadcasting intensified during the Nixon administration, with President Richard Nixon famously disliking PBS and CPB, vetoing a two-year public broadcasting funding bill in 1972. Following the veto, Congress chose to accept Nixon’s alternative proposal for reduced, one-year funding rather than attempt to override the veto.
Under Trump, sustained attacks have culminated in systematic efforts to eliminate federal support entirely.
Trump consistently characterized NPR and PBS as biased liberal propaganda, arguing that taxpayers shouldn’t fund media outlets perceived as politically biased against conservative viewpoints.
Critics pointed to specific incidents, including a former NPR senior editor’s allegations of progressive groupthink within the organization, and demanded political balance in staffing and programming. However, Independent media-bias monitors have assessed NPR and PBS, CPB’s primary beneficiaries, as follows: NPR 43.10 on a scale of 64; 43.42 on a scale of 64. Both organizations are slightly left of center, but ranked among the top six neutral news sources. Ad Fontes ranks Reuters and the Associated Press as the most reliable sources.
The decisive moment to cut funding to CPB came in July 2025 when Congress passed a $9 billion rescissions package that clawed back previously approved funding, including $1.1 billion designated for CPB through fiscal year 2027. The House vote of 216-213 and Senate approval followed largely party lines, with only four Republicans breaking ranks to oppose the cuts.
The Senate Appropriations Committee subsequently excluded CPB from its fiscal 2026 funding bill, marking the first time in over 50 years that the organization was omitted from federal appropriations.
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison announced that most of the organization’s approximately 100 employees would be laid off by September 30, 2025, with a small transition team remaining until January 2026 to complete financial obligations and ensure continuity for music rights and royalties.
The closure’s impact extends far beyond CPB itself. Rural and tribal stations face immediate existential threats, with many expected to shut down permanently. Native Public Media, supporting 36 tribal stations that rely on CPB for roughly half their budgets, warned that numerous stations could “go dark.”
Emergency alert capabilities will be severely compromised, particularly in rural areas where public broadcasting often provides the only reliable communication during disasters. The loss of local journalism in already-existing news deserts will further reduce civic engagement and increase political extremism, according to media scholars.
NPR and PBS are expected to survive the reorganization through private funding because they receive only small percentages of their budgets directly from federal sources.
Larger stations in urban markets, while better positioned to survive through diversified funding sources, will still face significant programming cuts and staff reductions. PBS SoCal anticipated losing more than $4 million in federal funding, while Illinois Public Media (IPM) will face a $1.5 million shortfall.
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said. “We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.”
