The Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease operations on September 30th.

[nickp 393]

3 hours ago, AKA said:

 

 

John Oliver is a treasure

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

Alabama Public Television votes to remain with PBS...
https://www.wsfa.com/2025/11/18/alabama-public-television-votes-keep-contract-with-pbs/

I wonder whatever became of MPB next door in Mississippi leaving NPR and PBS next year as well...any word on that?

[AmericanErrorist 267]

CPB and NPR have reached a settlement where both NPR's existing satellite service and the independent public radio uplink that was to replace it will both get money, and CPB agreed that Trump's anti-NPR EO was illegal:

 

https://current.org/2025/11/cpb-npr-settle-interconnection-dispute/

 

CPB was able to prepay for music rights across the whole system (including community radio) through to the end of 2027:

 

https://current.org/2025/10/cpb-secures-music-rights-for-public-media-through-2027/

[AKA 70]

On 11/17/2025 at 10:54 AM, AKA said:

 

 

‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ Auction Raises More Than $1.5 Million for Public Broadcasting, Including New Record for a Bob Ross Painting

[AmericanErrorist 267]

9 minutes ago, AKA said:

‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ Auction Raises More Than $1.5 Million for Public Broadcasting, Including New Record for a Bob Ross Painting

This is an auction for the benefit of American Public Television, the Bob Ross back catalog's distributor, so that they may waive their fees to the body of mostly PBS member stations that carry their programming outside of primetime.

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

Arkansas becomes the first statewide network to *officially* announce the drop of PBS from their network of channels.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/business/media/arkansas-public-television-drops-pbs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8E8.DUUJ.vECMF_78IR7v&smid=url-share

 

[JRyan 694]

Not sure if this is the best thread to put this but I'm unaware of one more relevant.  It might be time for PBS to seriously rethink its spending at the corporate level - and beyond just talking about it.  High-level corporate employees are receiving rather high salaries for what is legally a non-profit organization.  The CEO of PBS received over a million dollars in 2023.  That is completely unsustainable.  If you're running a non-profit, I don't have a problem with you receiving a pay proportional to the work you're doing.  And certainly as a CEO you deserve to be paid as you've worked hard to get to that position.  But over a million dollars just in one year?  I'm not sure under what circumstances that would ever be considered appropriate levels of pay for a nonprofit educational TV network - with or without Federal funding.

 

It certainly won't solve the shortfall induced by losing Federal funds.  But if PBS cuts spending at the corporate office to something more appropriate, maybe they won't need to charge as much to its member stations.

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

For those unaware, yesterday was the PBS Newshour's last program with Newshour West, the West Coast bureau located in Phoenix with ASU (and KAET Arizona PBS), due to all these budget cuts we've been talking about lately. ASU decided not to renew, and therefore, the bureau came to an end.

 

https://www.statepress.com/article/2025/12/politics-pbs-newshour-west-closure

 

 

[l_miro 245]

7 hours ago, TheRolyPoly said:

For those unaware, yesterday was the PBS Newshour's last program with Newshour West, the West Coast bureau located in Phoenix with ASU (and KAET Arizona PBS), due to all these budget cuts we've been talking about lately. ASU decided not to renew, and therefore, the bureau came to an end.

 

https://www.statepress.com/article/2025/12/politics-pbs-newshour-west-closure

 

 

 

Not surprised. Something like 2% of those disliking the PBS cuts are actually donating. NYT reported, with all the press everywhere, PBS managed to get all of 120,000 new donors over 3 months ending July 2025.

 

 

 

[MD TV 389]

Today the Corporation for Public Broadcasting voted to dissolve the organization:

 

https://cpb.org/pressroom/corporation-public-broadcasting-board-votes-dissolve-organization-act-responsible

[l_miro 245]

11 hours ago, MD TV said:

Today the Corporation for Public Broadcasting voted to dissolve the organization:

 

https://cpb.org/pressroom/corporation-public-broadcasting-board-votes-dissolve-organization-act-responsible

 

Like I said, people were farming likes and engagement, they don't care and didn't donate to PBS

 

Also,, the fact the CPB never went to the FCC to ask for a rule change allowing NCE designated channels to air ads and collect reteans fees 

[AmericanErrorist 267]

41 minutes ago, l_miro said:

 

Like I said, people were farming likes and engagement, they don't care and didn't donate to PBS

 

Also,, the fact the CPB never went to the FCC to ask for a rule change allowing NCE designated channels to air ads and collect reteans fees 

This has nothing to do with how many people donated to the actual public media entities, or any policy changes. The CPB board decided back on December 10th to dissolve, as their original plan, maintaining its legal existence but not doing anything in anticipation of Congress giving them money again someday, was deemed unviable. CPB was never anything more than a funnel from the government to the broadcasters, who are mostly still operating with less money, and it never spoke on the behalf of public media, who have their own lobbying operations.

[Action Newsroom 1376]

PBS News Weekend wrapped on Sunday:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

Another PBS station is dropping PBS.  This time, it's BGSU's station WBGU in Bowling Green, Ohio.

https://www.tvtechnology.com/business/wbgu-tv-in-ohio-to-drop-pbs-affiliation

 

While located in the Toledo market, the area is also served by WGTE in Toledo.  However, WBGU serves as the default station for the Lima market.
They may need to start importing either WGTE, WPTD in Dayton, or even WFWA out of Fort Wayne or WOSU out of Columbus.

Edited January 21 by tyrannical bastard

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

They'll probably import WGTE or WPTD since Toledo and Dayton's major stations have or are still serving Lima as backups.

[ABC 7 Denver 1889]

3 hours ago, TheRolyPoly said:

They'll probably import WGTE or WPTD since Toledo and Dayton's major stations have or are still serving Lima as backups.

 

Backups? Is there some sort of SSA or simulcast agreement? Or is WBGU going to act as a translator?

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

1 hour ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

Backups? Is there some sort of SSA or simulcast agreement? Or is WBGU going to act as a translator?

 

Sorry, I was typing this while at work.

 

What I meant by that is that nearby PBS member stations, such as WGTE and WPTD, can serve as de facto PBS outlets for Lima since it will soon be without one.

 

I mean, WOUC-TV (a WOUB-TV Athens satellite station serving Cambridge and Zanesville) is the de facto PBS member station for the Wheeling–Steubenville TV market (alongside WVPB) since they don't have PBS of their own.

Edited January 22 by TheRolyPoly

[AmericanErrorist 267]

This wasn't reported at all, but I live in Spokane and can confirm that KWSU-TV Pullman shut down as promised as the countdown to the New Year PDT finished. The television market's viewers therefore lost out on the various non-network programs the station aired along with limited PBS reruns. WSU/Northwest Public Broadcasting has replaced the KWSU feed on the PBS website with KTNW Richland, the co-owned mainline PBS station from the Yakima/Tri-Cities market (shared with KCTS Seattle semi-satellite KYVE Yakima) which airs the exact same network programs at the same time as KSPS and Idaho Public Television.

Edited January 22 by AmericanErrorist

[Brain 83]

I don't want to get too political here, but there is a huge case against the central Corporation for Public Broadcasting out of bias concerns. I do have a spot for public broadcasting, but under a more state/local-centric model.

[Dave Lampstein 287]

 

Trump’s Executive Order on NPR and PBS Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules

 

The ruling will have minimal effect on the federal money going to public media because Congress voted to claw back funding. But it could have implications for any future funding.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/business/media/trump-npr-pbs-executive-order-ruling.html
 

Could be an interesting look into the future of cases brought against Brendan Carr’s FCC and their dislike of “liberal media”. 

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

On 3/31/2026 at 5:29 PM, Dave Lampstein said:

 

Trump’s Executive Order on NPR and PBS Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules

 

The ruling will have minimal effect on the federal money going to public media because Congress voted to claw back funding. But it could have implications for any future funding.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/business/media/trump-npr-pbs-executive-order-ruling.html
 

Could be an interesting look into the future of cases brought against Brendan Carr’s FCC and their dislike of “liberal media”. 

 

That's the minimal impact. The maximum impact is losing CPB and PBS losing member stations.

 

Another example... Terre Haute/Vincennes' WVUT. They're dropping their PBS membership status on June 30th.

 

https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/vincennes-universitys-wvut-tv-to-end-pbs-affiliation/amp/

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

KSMQ is still going to be around, but instead its now managed by...

 

 

https://northpine.com/2026/04/18/twin-cities-pbs-takes-over-operations-of-southern-minn-station/

[LTSC1980 130]

Arkansas TV could remain with PBS…

 

https://arkansasradio.com/2026/04/arkansas-tv-foundation-secures-3-million-dollar-donation-to-support-arkansas-pbs/

Edited April 23 by LTSC1980

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

On 8/19/2025 at 10:29 PM, TheRolyPoly said:

Another result of the cuts...

 

WEIU is dropping its PBS member status on Sept. 30th after 33 years. They'll go back to being an educational independent station for the first time since 1992.

 

https://www.wcia.com/news/education/eiu-announces-end-of-tv-stations-affiliation-with-pbs/amp/

 

Only seven and a half months after this, WEIU-TV is going off the air. May 15th will be their final day on air.

 

https://www.wandtv.com/news/weiu-tv-live-broadcast-to-end-switching-to-streaming-only/article_bcfeaabd-3742-454e-8b42-d364f293dc42.html

[Dave Lampstein 287]

We’re now going to see this situation become very common throughout public media—though it makes a lot of sense. One of the few times consolidation is likely to help more than hurt. 

 

GBH and NEPM to merge:

https://www.wgbh.org/foundation/press/press-releases/2026-05-01/gbh-and-nepm-announce-anticipated-merger-to-strengthen-access-to-trusted-news-information-and-quality-entertainment-across-massachusetts

 

DC for example is served over-the-air and on cable by at least three different PBS member stations. This is common in several markets. At least 70-80% maybe more of these program schedules overlap with the same programming.