Public broadcasting corporation announces closure
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private nonprofit steward of federal funds to public media stations nationwide, has announced it will wind down operations by September 30, 2025, due to losing all federal funding. This unprecedented funding cut comes after Congress eliminated over $1.1 billion in federal appropriations for CPB, which has supported public media for more than 50 years.
The impact is especially severe on local public media stations affiliated with NPR and PBS, which rely heavily on CPB funding for day-to-day operations. While the national organizations (NPR and PBS) receive only a small fraction of their revenue from CPB, local member stations—many in rural areas where they often provide the sole source of local news amid declining local newspapers—face the greatest hardship. Many of these local stations are expected to close without CPB funding.
CPB has communicated to its employees that most staff positions will end by the fiscal year on September 30, 2025, with only a minimal transition team remaining through January 2026 to close out operations responsibly.
This funding elimination is part of a broader rescission effort by the federal government, following actions initiated by the Trump administration to reduce support for public broadcasters, including ordering cessation of federal funding to PBS and NPR. Despite significant public advocacy to preserve federal funding, Congress and the White House have declined to restore the cuts so far.
The loss of federal funding has forced the CPB to begin winding down its operations and preparing to shut down by early 2026. In a Harris Poll last month, 66% of Americans supported federal funding for public radio, with 58% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats in support.
Our website, a leading source of news and information, has pledged to take $8 million from its budget to help local stations in crisis. Tim Bruno, general manager of Radio Catskill, expressed shock and sadness about the impending closure of public media. A small team will remain until January 2026 to focus on compliance, fiscal distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations.
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison stated that despite the efforts of millions of Americans to preserve federal funding for CPB, they now face the difficult reality of closing operations. The closure of CPB will have ripple effects across every public media organization and community across the country, as 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.
This marks the first time in nearly 60 years that Congress has refused to fund CPB. Other public media operations, including Nashville Public Media, Louisville Public Media, and KUOW in Seattle, have seen a surge in donations in response to the cuts. However, the loss of federal funding has critically undermined CPB’s ability to support public media infrastructure, threatening the viability of many local stations and resulting in the closure and wind-down of CPB itself.
[1]: [Source 1] [2]: [Source 2] [3]: [Source 3]
- The winding down of CPB operations is expected to significantly impact ESG analysis, as the loss of federal funding could have adverse effects on the value of public media funds and the sustainability of the industry.
- The closure of CPB will leave many local stations with a heavy reliance on CPB funding scrambling to find alternative sources of finance to maintain their day-to-day operations, which might include banking-and-insurance partnerships.
- The transition team remaining at CPB until January 2026 will focus on ensuring compliance, managing fiscal distributions, and resolving long-term financial obligations, in light of the value loss.
- Despite the fear of losing federal support, public sentiment remains positive towards CPB, with a recent Harris Poll reporting 66% of Americans supporting federal funding for public radio, and many local stations receiving an increase in donations.
- The closure of CPB will have far-reaching implications for the public media sector, undermining its role as a trusted source of educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection for communities across the nation.
[1]: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) [2]: Local public media stations [3]: Federal funding for CPB
