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Citing its loss of federal funding, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced Aug. 1 that it will be shutting down.
The news release said that the “orderly wind-down” of operations follows the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s fiscal year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill and the passage of a federal rescissions package.
A July 31 news release from the committee noted that Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies subcommittee, had proposed an amendment to the bill to try to restore funding for the CPB, and that amendment was debated and withdrawn.
According to the corporation, the appropriations committee’s bill is the first in more than 50 years to skip funding CPB, which Congress authorized in 1967. The corporation has shepherded federal investments in public broadcasting, and it helps finance more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public TV and radio stations in the US. It also helps fund research, technology, and program development for public radio, TV, and associated online services, according to the release.
Patricia Harrison, the president and CEO of CPB, said millions of Americans asked Congress to keep funding CPB.
“For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country,” CPB’s release said. “Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community.”
According to the release, CPB told employees Aug. 1 that most staff positions will end with the close of the 2025 fiscal year, Sept. 30. Some employees will remain through January to ensure continuity for music rights and royalties and finalize work regarding compliance, distributions, and long-term financial obligations.
“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,” Harrison said. “We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.”
The corporation’s board and management are handling legal, financial, and operational requirements involved in closing, according to the release.
As CatholicVote previously reported, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on May 1 demanding the CPB cease federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which he said don’t provide taxpayers with accurate or unbiased accounts of current events.
“Unlike in 1967, when the CPB was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options,” the order stated. “Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”
CatholicVote had endorsed a proposal that included a measure to stop taxpayers from having to spend $1.1 billion on CPB, which financially supported NPR and PBS, and the US House passed the rescissions package, HR 4, on June 12, 214-212, as CatholicVote reported. The bill passed the Senate 51-48 on July 17 and became law on July 24.