Latest news with #Corp.forPublicBroadcasting
CNN
7 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Corp. for Public Broadcasting to shutter after Trump funding cuts
Corp. for Public Broadcasting to shutter after Trump funding cuts The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that it will wind down its operations due to the successful Republican effort to defund local PBS and NPR stations across the country. CNN's Brian Stelter reports. 01:45 - Source: CNN Reporters ask Trump about firing labor stats chief over jobs numbers President Donald Trump has fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whom he accused, without evidence, of manipulating the monthly jobs reports for 'political purposes.' 00:35 - Source: CNN Will President Trump release the Epstein files? CNN's Paula Reid explains the latest information on whether President Trump will release the Epstein files after the Trump administration backtracked on its promise to release additional materials in the investigation. 01:30 - Source: CNN GOP candidate deflects direct questions on past Trump comments CNN's Manu Raju presses Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee for Virginia governor, on critical comments she's made in the past about President Donald Trump, who has yet to endorse her campaign. 02:55 - Source: CNN Smithsonian removes reference to Trump impeachment The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History last month removed a board that referenced President Donald Trump's two impeachments from an exhibit on the American presidency. 01:15 - Source: CNN The politics behind Trump's historic tariffs President Trump has announced historic US tariffs on countries across the globe. CNN's Kevin Liptak breaks down Trump's motives for imposing the new trade deals. 01:30 - Source: CNN Three things to know about Trump's new tariffs President Trump has announced a slew of new tariffs on America's trading partners. But what does that really mean for US consumers, and America's relationships with its allies? And will these new measures be implemented at all? CNN's Anna Cooban explains. 01:34 - Source: CNN GOP lawmaker faces raucous crowd in Wisconsin Republican Rep. Bryan Steil faced tough questions and booing by attendees of a town-hall style event in Wisconsion. Audience members confronted Steil on topics including the economy, immigration policy, and the war in Gaza. 02:08 - Source: CNN Biden warns country is facing 'dark days' under Trump During the National Bar Association's annual gala in Chicago, former President Joe Biden warned that the country is facing 'dark days' under President Donald Trump's watch, saying the executive branch 'seems to be doing its best to dismantle the Constitution.' 01:12 - Source: CNN Harris gives Colbert her first interview since losing election Former Vice President Kamala Harris reflected on her decision not to pursue a gubernatorial run in California, citing systemic dysfunction, while speaking in an interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." 00:44 - Source: CNN Virginia Giuffre family's message to Trump about Ghislaine Maxwell pardon CNN's Kaitlan Collins speaks with the family of late Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking accusers, about their response to President Trump potentially pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell. 00:50 - Source: CNN Kerrville mayor admits to missing emergency briefing call CNN's Shimon Prokupecz speaks with Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. about not seeing emails regarding an emergency preparation call before the deadly July 4 floods. 01:47 - Source: CNN $200 million 'Trump-style' ballroom coming to the White House Construction for a new ballroom on the White House campus will begin in September on a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom, fulfilling a 15-year ambition by President Trump to construct an event space on the White House grounds that expands the building's entertaining capacity. 01:16 - Source: CNN Trump's tariff deadline looms over world economy President Trump's self-imposed midnight deadline is rapidly approaching for countries to strike a trade framework with the United States or face significantly higher tariffs. In a new development today, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on higher tariffs on Mexico. 01:26 - Source: CNN Trump's tariffs might make coffee in the US more expensive CNN's Isa Soares examines Trump's proposed tariffs on Brazil, and how it may impact coffee prices once they go into effect. 01:34 - Source: CNN US diminished a key weapons stockpile fighting Iran The US used about a quarter of its supply of high-end missile interceptors during the Israel-Iran war, exposing a gap in supplies, and raising concerns about US global security posture. CNN's Tamara Qiblawi reports. 01:35 - Source: CNN Education Dept. resumes collecting student loans in default The Department of Education will start sending federal student loans in default to collections again, ending a pandemic-era pause that began roughly five years ago. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty explains what you need to know. 01:42 - Source: CNN Democrats cite arcane law in letter demanding Epstein files CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox explains how a law from the 1920s could help Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee access to the Epstein files. 01:31 - Source: CNN Tapper presses Pelosi on Trump's insider trading allegations CNN's Jake Tapper spoke to former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who reacted to President Donald Trump accusing Pelosi and her husband of insider trading, calling the allegation "ridiculous." 01:08 - Source: CNN
Los Angeles Times
01-08-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Corp. for Public Broadcasting shuts down after federal funding cuts
The Corp. for Public Broadcasting said Friday it was shutting down, about one week after President Trump signed legislation stripping its funding. The group, which administers funds for PBS TV affiliates and NPR radio stations, said it would 'begin an orderly wind-down of its operations.' A majority of staff positions will be cut Sept. 30, when the group's fiscal year ends. 'A small transition team will remain through January 2026 to ensure a responsible and orderly closeout of operations,' the nonprofit said in a statement. 'This team will focus on compliance, final distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations, including ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system.' Since returning to office, Trump has made a priority of yanking federal funding for public broadcasters as part of a wider campaign against media outlets that he dislikes. The president derided PBS and NPR as government-funded 'left-wing propaganda.' Congress fell into line. It passed a measure in mid-July that clawed back $1.1 billion that previously had been allocated for public broadcasting for two years. Separately, lawmakers introduced a Senate appropriations bill for 2026 that excludes funding for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting for the first time in more than 50 years. Conservatives have long wanted to strip funding from public media because of its perceived liberal bias. The actions left the group without a steady source of operating money — and little hope that more would be on the way. 'Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,' Corp. for Public Broadcasting Chief Executive Patricia Harrison said in a statement. The organization dates back nearly 60 years and has helped nurture such notable programs as 'Sesame Street,' 'PBS NewsHour,' 'NOVA,' numerous Ken Burns documentaries and 'Antiques Roadshow.' Through its partnerships with local stations and producers, the nonprofit made a mission of supporting educational and cultural programming, local journalism and emergency communications. The move could cripple smaller public stations, including those in rural areas that struggle to mount high-dollar local membership campaigns. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting helps support more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations nationwide. PBS SoCal, which operates member stations KOCE and KCET in Orange and Los Angeles counties, respectively, was set to lose more than $4 million in federal funding, Andy Russell, president and chief executive of the stations, previously told The Times. NPR has two large affiliates serving Los Angeles: KCRW-FM (89.9) and LAist/KPCC-FM (89.3). LAist, based in Pasadena, will lose about 4% of its annual budget — $1.7 million. Alejandra Santamaria, the station's chief executive, told The Times last month that funding helped pay for 13 journalist positions in its newsroom. KCRW in Santa Monica had been expecting $1.3 million from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. The stations have asked listeners to donate in order to compensate for the 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,' Harrison said in the statement. 'We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.'
Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
What's next for PBS and NPR after Republicans strip funding?
Ken Burns has made more than 30 documentaries and won multiple Emmys. But without funding from public television, his educational programming such as 'The Civil War' and 'Baseball' might never have existed, he told 'PBS News Hour' in an interview Thursday. Even today, the acclaimed filmmaker whose works — including his upcoming project 'The American Revolution' — are broadcast on PBS, said his films get around 20% of their budgets from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the body Congress recently voted to defund. Projects that receive a higher percentage of their funding through public media 'just won't be able to be made,' Burns said. 'And so there'll be less representation by all the different kinds of filmmakers. People coming up will have an impossible time getting started.' The U.S. Senate this week passed the Trump administration's proposal to claw back $9 billion in federal funding previously allocated for foreign aid and public broadcasting, and the House of Representatives approved the package after midnight Friday, sending it to President Trump's desk. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which administers the funds for NPR radio stations and PBS TV affiliates, is on track to lose $1.1 billion that had previously been budgeted for the next two years. The impact of those cuts will be deeply felt across both NPR and PBS, leaders of both organizations told The Times. Layoffs and reduced programming are expected, and the blows will disproportionately strike smaller markets that rely more heavily on federal funding. 'This is going to hit hardest in the places that need it the most,' said Gabriel Kahn, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Stations in smaller markets are staffed significantly less than stations in larger cities, often because of the disparity in funding. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting acted as 'the great equalizer,' Kahn said, padding the budgets of smaller stations so they could continue operating. 'It's just going to be increasingly lonely out there as these voices, who were of the community and generally very well trusted, are going to disappear,' Kahn said. 'Because within a year, you're not going to be able to hear these things on the radio anymore in a lot of places.' The cuts fulfill a longtime dream of conservatives and libertarians, who bristle at the notion of public funds supporting media organizations, especially ones they view as left-leaning. Republicans have for decades called for cuts to public broadcasting because of the perceived liberal slant of its programming. Trump has called NPR and PBS government-funded 'left-wing propaganda.' But several prominent voices in media and politics were quick to call attention to the harm the cuts will have, especially on communities where the local stations rely heavily on federal funding. 'A PBS station is really like the public library. It's one of those important institutions that may be the only place where people have access to local news,' Burns said. 'There's a kind of sense of local accountability, and as news becomes nationalized and even internationalized, there's a loss there.' PBS President Paula Kerger expressed similar concerns. 'Many of our stations which provide access to free unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,' Kerger said in a statement Thursday. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of two Republicans to vote against the package, said she strongly opposes the cuts to public media in a statement after the vote. She referenced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Alaska this week that triggered a tsunami warning as an example of the public service stations provide. 'My colleagues are targeting NPR but will wind up hurting — and, over time, closing down — local radio stations that provide essential news, alerts and educational programming in Alaska and across the country.' Public media outlets in Southern California's urban areas, which can turn to wealthy locals for donations, are less dependent on federal funding than stations in smaller markets. But they will still feel an immediate loss. Washington, D.C.-based NPR has two major affiliates serving the Los Angeles area: LAist, or KPCC-FM (89.3), and KCRW-FM (89.9). LAist, based in Pasadena, was set to receive $1.7 million, about 4% of its annual budget. Alejandra Santamaria, president and chief executive of LAist, said the money is equivalent to 13 journalist positions at the local news operation. KCRW in Santa Monica was expecting $264,000 from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. PBS SoCal, which operates member stations KOCE and KCET in Orange and Los Angeles counties, respectively, is facing a loss of $4.3 million in federal funding, according to Andy Russell, president and chief executive of the stations. Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR Public Media in San Bernardino, which operates PBS and NPR affiliates, said earlier this week that the Senate action will mean losing $540,000, about 6% of its operating budget. Thus, she has to consider cutting five positions on an already lean staff. Kahn, the USC professor who is also the publisher and editor of Crosstown L.A., a nonprofit newsroom focused on local reporting and data journalism, said the cuts could have unintended consequences for Trump's own voters. 'The irony, of course, is that these are areas that generally support Trump with high margins, and they're are also areas that have the greatest allegiance to their local public radio station,' he said.
Los Angeles Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Ann Philbin wins the Getty Prize and steers $500,000 to NPR, KCRW and LAist
NPR is receiving a highly symbolic financial boost days before Congress is expected to vote on the fate of federal funding that supports the news and culture nonprofit. Ann Philbin, former director and current director emeritus of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, has been named this year's Getty Prize recipient. The honor comes with a $500,000 grant for a nonprofit of the winner's choice, and Philbin has selected NPR and its Los Angeles member stations, KCRW and LAist. The prize is considered the Getty's highest honor and recognizes what the institution calls 'cultural leaders whose work expands human understanding and appreciation of arts and culture.' Previous awardees include Frank Gehry, Mark Bradford, Ed Ruscha, Yo-Yo Ma and Thelma Golden. 'I wanted to shine a light on one of the most pressing issues of our day,' Philbin said in a phone interview. 'And that's freedom of speech and freedom of the press.' Philbin said she requested that half of the Getty grant go to NPR and the other half to be split between KCRW and LAist. 'Those two radio stations for me — and I think for so many Angelenos who spend so much time in their cars — are constant companions,' Philbin said. 'We listen to them all the time, and they're precious to us. To even think about the fact that they might not exist is unbearable.' NPR Chief Executive Katherine Maher in May filed a lawsuit against President Trump after he issued an executive order directing the Corp. for Public Broadcasting to freeze all funding to NPR and PBS. She said Philbin's decision to split the donation between NPR and its local affiliates showed a level of understanding about the interdependency of the local and national radio platforms not often mirrored in the national conversation. 'It is an extraordinary gift at an extraordinary time with real, material impact for the stations,' Maher said. Congress has until the end of the week to vote on a White House proposal known as the rescission bill that would claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and more than $500 million per year in federal funding already approved for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which funnels financial support to NPR and PBS as well as local public radio and TV stations across the country. Trump has been adamant that his allies vote in favor of the rescission package, writing on Truth Social last week that he will withhold support and endorsements from any Republican who doesn't vote in its favor. He called the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, NPR and PBS 'a monstrosity.' The proposed cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would total $1.1 billion over the next two years. Federal funding accounts for about 15% of PBS' budget and 1% of NPR's budget, according to NPR, but local stations would be the hardest hit and some may not survive, Maher said. If they vanished, she added, they would take with them the kind of hyper-local, community-based reporting that helps forge and maintain a sense of place, identity and purpose, particularly in rural communities. 'That impact is something that is hard to conceptualize, even when you are a member of Congress who represents some of these communities,' Maher said. 'Because you spend so much time living with one foot in the world of places like Washington, D.C., and very little time in the areas of the country where broadband services are not reliable or easily available, and cellphone service is not necessarily consistent and universal.' Philbin noted that NPR's mission statement is to create a more informed public and to celebrate the diversity of the human experience, and that those values are being challenged by a storm of misinformation. The Getty Prize was founded in 2013 as the Getty Medal. It was initially given to several individuals each year, but last year it transformed into its current incarnation, honoring a single person who chooses the 'pay-it-forward' grant recipient. Last year's honoree was Mark Bradford, who chose to steer the grant money to the Arts for Healing and Justice Network, which brings arts programming to minors in the juvenile justice system.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NPR and public radio stations sue Trump White House over funding cuts
NPR and three of its member stations filed suit in federal court Tuesday against President Trump's White House over the president's executive order to block funding for public media. Trump's order called for an end to government dollars for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to NPR and PBS. He called the outlets "left wing propaganda." The suit says the May 1 action by Trump violated the 1st Amendment. "The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased,'" the legal brief said, according to an NPR report. The suit also says that the funding — currently at around $500 million annually — is appropriated by Congress. The allocation is made two years in advance. "Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government," Corp. for Public Broadcasting chief Patricia Harrison told NPR in a statement. Harrison said that the Corp. for Public Broadcasting is not a federal agency subject to the president's authority. Read more: Nixon hated PBS, but his Watergate scandal gave the fledgling network a major hit "The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press," NPR President and Chief Executive Katherine Maher said in a statement. The order is one of a number of attempts by Trump to limit or intimidate institutions he does not agree with. Targets included law firms, universities and media companies such as CBS, which is being sued for $20 billion over a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. NPR filed the suit with three public radio outlets, including Denver-based Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Pubic Radio and KSUT which serves the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Both NPR and PBS have stressed that the bulk of the federal funding they receive goes to stations that provide local news and emergency alerts for their communities. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
