Another state PBS network goes down, it's not the first and it will not be the last & Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Votes to Dissolve Organization in Act of Responsible Stewardship to Protect the Future of Public Media 7&5JAN26

 

I just watched the PBS NewsHour nightly broadcast and am so angry it was announced at the end of the broadcast it was announced PBS NewsHour Weekend has been canceled due to the drumpf / trump-vance administration with fascist fotze trunt elon musk, doge, and the gop / greed over people-republican party controlling congress rescinding all federal funding for the CPB, NPR and PBS. The CPB board of directors voted to disband the organization since it has not been operational since the funding cut rather than leave the organization in tact for the drumpf / trump-vance administration to turn it into a neo-nazi propaganda organization controlled by fascist fotze trunt stephen goebbels-miller and the fascist heritage / fourth reich foundation disguised as the CPB. fox faux news has always been an extreme right wing fascist media organization, cbs has now joined them as very active members of this government's Orwellian propaganda machine. Multiple NPR and PBS stations in red and blue states have closed due to lack of funding. Please consider becoming a sustaining member of your local NPR and / or PBS station or donate whatever you can afford to either or both. Please join the Demand Progress campaign to save public media and e mail your representative and senators telling them to include funding for NPR and PBS in the federal FY 2026 budget. My e mails to my representative and senators are at the end of this post.

It's now been over five months since Donald Trump signed legislation defunding public broadcasting — and the blows to public media just keep on coming.1 Last month, Arkansas' public television network officially broke ties with PBS, citing the loss of federal funding. Going forward, shows like Sesame Street, Antiques Roadshow, and PBS News Hour will no longer be available to viewers in the state.2 This comes after PBS laid off 15% of its staff, New Jersey PBS announced it would go off the air next summer, and over 50 local stations around the country announced layoffs.3,4,5 Without renewed federal support, more than 115 other stations could cease operations in the year ahead.6 But this fight is NOT over. The U.S. Senate is about to take up legislation that could restore funding for public broadcasting, and we're mobilizing tens of thousands of people to demand that Congress restore funding now! Will you make a donation to help save public radio and television, and push for other key reforms? If you've stored your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation to Demand Progress will process immediately. DONATE $12 DONATE $17 DONATE $23 DONATE $27 DONATE $35 DONATE OTHER AMOUNT Trump's defunding of public broadcasting has nothing to do with saving taxpayer money. The entire federal contribution to public broadcasting was around $550 million a year — or less than $1.60 per American.7 For comparison, the cost of Trump's ballroom renovation alone is $300 million.8 The reason Trump wants to kill off public broadcasting is because it's a threat to his authoritarian takeover. Every autocrat knows that in order to suppress dissent, they must control the news and information that people receive. With MAGA billionaires in control of the biggest social media platforms and buying up major news outlets like CBS, he's well on his way.9 But if we act now, we can save public broadcasting. The U.S. Senate will soon begin debate on appropriations bills for FY2026, and funding for local public radio and TV stations absolutely must be included. We've already mobilized more than 100,000 people to contact Congress in support of protecting public media this year, and now we need to ramp it up. Will you make a donation to help support our work, including restoring funding for public radio and television? Thanks for taking action, Joey and the team at Demand Progress Action DONATE Sources: 1. PBS, "Trump signs bill canceling $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding," July 24, 2025. 2. Arkansas Times, "RIP, Arkansas PBS," December 11, 2025.  3. Axios, "PBS slashes 15% of its staff after federal funding cuts," September 5, 2025. 4. Corporation for Public Broadcasting, "The Impact of the Federal Rescission on Public Media," October 9, 2025. 5. WHYY, "NJ PBS, New Jersey's only dedicated public television channel, will cease operations in the Garden State next summer," September 23, 2025. 6. Protect My Public Media, "Urge Congress: Save Our Stations," accessed December 17, 2025. 7. Protect My Public Media, "About Protect My Public Media," accessed December 5, 2025. 8. ABC News, "New images show White House East Wing leveled for $300 million ballroom," November 17, 2025. 9. Zeteo, "The MAGA Moguls' Media Takeover," December 9, 2025. Contributions to ActBlue Civics and Demand Progress Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Instagram or Twitter. Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Votes to Dissolve Organization in Act of Responsible Stewardship to Protect the Future of Public Media After 58 Years of Service, CPB Closure Comes Following Congressional Defunding, Marks New Era for Public Media Washington, D.C. (January 5, 2026) — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress to steward the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting, announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the organization after 58 years of service to the American public. The decision follows Congress’s rescission of all of CPB’s federal funding and comes after sustained political attacks that made it impossible for CPB to continue operating as the Public Broadcasting Act intended. “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, President and CEO of CPB. “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.” “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.” First authorized by Congress under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, CPB helped build and sustain a nationwide public media system of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public radio and television stations. Through CPB’s stewardship, public media became a trusted civic resource—delivering educational programming like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street that helped generations of children learn and grow, providing lifesaving emergency alerts during natural disasters and crises, and supporting rigorous, fact-based journalism that uncovers issues impacting people’s daily lives, connects neighbors to one another, and strengthens civic participation. CPB’s Board determined that without the resources to fulfill its congressionally mandated responsibilities, maintaining the corporation as a nonfunctional entity would not serve the public interest or advance the goals of public media. A dormant and defunded CPB could have become vulnerable to future political manipulation or misuse, threatening the independence of public media and the trust audiences place in it, and potentially subjecting staff and board members to legal exposure from bad-faith actors. While CPB’s chapter is ending, the mission of public media endures. Local stations, producers, journalists, and educators across the country will continue serving their communities, informing the public, and elevating local voices. As part of its orderly closure, CPB will complete the responsible distribution of all remaining funds in accordance with Congress’s intent. CPB will also provide support to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting to continue digitizing and preserving historic content, and CPB’s own archives—dating back to the organization’s founding in 1967—will be preserved in partnership with the University of Maryland and made accessible to the public. “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.” # # # About CPB The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967. It has helped support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services. With the rescission of federal funds for FY 2026 and FY 2027, CPB is in the process of winding down operations. For more information, visit www.cpb.org.

 MY e mails to Rep Subramanyam D-VA 10th, Sen Warner D-VA and Sen Kaine D-VA

Congress will soon start federal budget negotiations for FY2026. I expect you to introduce, or at the very least co-sponsor and support full funding for NPR and PBS in these negotiations. Too many NPR and PBS stations, many in very rural areas, have ceased broadcasting and more will follow if federal funding for these non-partisan nonprofit media organizations is not restored. Please work with the entire Virginia congressional delegation to fully restore NPR and PBS funding in FY2026. And for any member of congress who opposes funding NPR and PBS, let their constituents in their district and state know through print and broadcast media.

Thank you