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The Hill
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump's assault on public media funding is dangerous to safety and democracy
Public media is under serious threat. Right now, Republican lawmakers are pushing a plan that could strip over $1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — a move that would devastate local stations, especially in rural America. Here's what's happening: the Senate is about to vote on a rescissions package, meaning it will vote to formalize some of the cuts made by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. If it passes, funding for public broadcasting dries up — full stop. Although NPR and PBS might survive in major cities, small-town stations — the ones that rely on federal grants — could vanish. These are communities where public radio isn't a luxury — it's the only source for local news, educational content, even emergency alerts. Seventy percent of CPB's budget directly funds more than 1,500 local stations. Take that away, and many simply can't keep their lights on. This push isn't random. It's part of a decades-long conservative effort to gut public media, now supercharged by President Trump. Public broadcasting leaders call this the most serious threat they've ever faced. And they're not exaggerating. This isn't just about losing 'Sesame Street' or 'PBS NewsHour.' It's about silencing local voices across America. We're standing at a crossroads. If this passes, hundreds of stations could go dark by fall. And once you shut down the news, you silence the truth. But let's be honest: this fight over public broadcasting is just the tip of the iceberg. We're witnessing a broader assault on journalism itself. This isn't about budgets—it's about control. Public broadcasters are some of the last trusted, unbiased sources of news in many places. Defunding them doesn't just cut television shows — it dismantles community lifelines. Seriously, these stations provide emergency updates during storms, wildfire warnings, even Amber Alerts. Critics claim public media leans liberal. I disagree. What they really mean is: any criticism of Trump is unacceptable. Journalists should be free to speak truth to power — even when the powerful don't like it. Meanwhile, media power is consolidating. Corporate deals tied to politics are reshaping major outlets. We're seeing billionaires push papers like The Washington Post toward MAGA aligned narratives, while longtime journalists quit. Small-town newspapers face legal threats just for reporting poll results. And don't forget the Associated Press got banned from The White House for refusing to call The Gulf of Mexico 'The Gulf of America.' If public media falls, what's next? National outlets are under pressure. Local journalism is dying. Killing NPR and PBS isn't a budget cut — it's a step toward dismantling the free press itself. And without a free press, democracy doesn't stand a chance.
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What would funding cuts do to NPR and PBS?
Here's what you need to know. Would NPR and PBS survive? Yes. NPR gets about 2% of its annual budget directly from federal grants, including from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; for PBS, that amount is about 15%. Both organizations also get federal money indirectly, through payments from member stations across the country that receive government funding, though it's difficult to estimate how much. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The real pain will be felt by local stations in far-flung locations like Unalakleet, Alaska, and Pendleton, Oregon. Those broadcasters often rely disproportionately on federal grants for their operations because of a funding formula that takes into account the fact that they have fewer donors and programming sponsors. Advertisement What about local stations? An internal NPR report from 2011 obtained by The New York Times said that if Congress cut off funding to the public radio system, up to 18% of the roughly 1,000 member stations would close, with broadcasters in the Midwest, South and West affected the most. Nationwide, up to 30% of listeners would lose access to NPR programming. Advertisement For PBS, local TV stations would also bear the brunt of the cuts. And popular programs like 'PBS NewsHour' and 'Nature' might need to find money elsewhere, such as from donations or syndication. How are local stations related to NPR and PBS? Neither NPR nor PBS own their local member stations, and the national organizations don't dictate the local programming schedules. But the local radio and TV stations pay for the rights to air shows distributed by PBS and NPR — well-known programs like 'All Things Considered,' 'Morning Edition' and 'PBS NewsHour.' NPR produces its flagship programs — known as newsmagazines — with its own staff and often relies on reporting from member stations scattered throughout the country. PBS distributes programs that are created by member stations, such as 'Frontline,' which is produced by WGBH in Boston. What's the argument for defunding NPR and PBS? Critics of public broadcasters argue that the media organizations have a liberal bias that taxpayers should not have to support. Uri Berliner, a former senior editor at NPR, argued in an essay last year that journalists at the public radio network had 'coalesced around the progressive worldview,' faulting its coverage of stories such as the controversy surrounding the laptop of then-President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. Some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have argued that widespread internet access has made news coverage from rural stations increasingly unnecessary. Some Republican critics of PBS have taken issue with content that they believe is too focused on issues of race and gender. Those concerns were aired this spring during a congressional hearing where lawmakers grilled Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, and Paula Kerger, CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service. What's the argument for keeping government funding intact? Proponents of public radio and TV in the United States argue that the organizations provide essential, free and in some cases lifesaving information for Americans across the country for little cost to taxpayers. Advertisement In some places, including remote locations that could be most affected by the cuts, public media is one of the only sources of local news. In addition to news programs like 'All Things Considered' and 'Morning Edition' on NPR, public broadcasting advocates are quick to extol the power of educational programs like 'Sesame Street' and 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.' Defenders of public broadcasting also underscore the virtues of vigorous journalism aired by PBS — programs like 'Frontline' and 'PBS NewsHour' — and investigations published by NPR, such as a recent deep dive into the Trump administration's impact on the federal health care budget. What will happen next? The Senate must act on the proposal to cut the funding, known as a rescission request, by Friday; the House has already approved it. If the measure passes, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer be able to make grants after September. If the rescission is enacted, it will probably not seriously affect any local radio and TV stations until this fall, when the next payment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting fails to arrive. This article originally appeared in .
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
PBS and NPR's last-ditch fight to save funding
Congress is expected to vote on that proposal, known as a rescission request, by the end of the week. If approved, it would end federal support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes money to NPR, PBS and local stations. That deadline has led to a rush of last-minute appeals from dozens of public radio and TV executives across the country, from Washington, D.C., to Anchorage, Alaska. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Ed Ulman, president and chief executive of Alaska Public Media, testifies during a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 26, 2025. ANNA ROSE LAYDEN/NYT Advertisement 'It's really important,' said Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media, the largest PBS and NPR organization in that state, where some organizations are in danger of shutting down if the vote passes. 'Everybody is reaching out to their senators and ensuring that this issue is front of mind,' he added. The stakes are high — not just for PBS and NPR, which get a small portion of their funding from federal grants, but for local stations, many of which need the money to pay for shows and news coverage about their communities. Advertisement Public broadcasters have been here before. Over the decades, Republican lawmakers have threatened to strip funding from NPR, PBS and local stations, objecting to a perceived liberal bias in news coverage or arguing that government should not indirectly finance media organizations. But the threat seems more likely now than ever: The House has already passed the measure, and President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold support from Republican lawmakers who don't approve the cuts. PBS and NPR have been working with station directors in states with Republican lawmakers to make their case directly to those representatives. Station directors are a powerful weapon in their arsenal: While NPR and PBS have been accused of liberal bias, local public executives often have relationships with their legislators and aren't perceived as partisan. NPR has been helping local stations explain the impact of their local services to lawmakers, according to a spokesperson for the organization. It is part of an effort, she said, to demonstrate 'the devastating impacts this rescission proposal would have on communities across the United States, and urge opposition to it.' Station directors are showing up wherever they can to get some time with lawmakers — including at the farmers market. Ulman said he had spoken with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, for about 20 minutes a few weeks ago at a pasta kiosk in Anchorage operated by one of her sons. Ulman said he had thanked Murkowski for her support of public media and answered questions about how money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was spent. Other meetings are more formal. Julie Overgaard, the executive director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, met with that state's junior senator, Mike Rounds, at the state Capitol this spring. Overgaard said the meeting had gone well, and that Rounds had since indicated he was not in favor of the rescission package in its current form because of its outsize impact on rural and tribal stations. Advertisement With that in mind, Overgaard said, nothing is certain until the day of the vote. 'I have just tried to tell him repeatedly that if you want to deal with some of the issues you and others have raised around bias in programming, the rescission package is not the way to deal with that,' she said. PBS and NPR are also tapping into their national network of donors to appeal directly to their lawmakers. Visitors to NPR's website are greeted with a pop-up bearing a stark message: 'Public media is facing its greatest threat in history.' It includes a link to Protect My Public Media, a site that provides information for listeners to call or email their senators. PBS has a similar call to action, affixing a bright red banner on its website with an all-caps plea for visitors to contact their representatives: 'NOW IS A CRITICAL TIME TO ACT.' Public broadcasters are also turning their most beloved avatars into spokespeople for the cause. Ken Burns, the filmmaker whose popular documentaries on American history often air on PBS stations, said in a recent interview on Joe Rogan's popular podcast that PBS was the 'Declaration of Independence applied to the communications world.' He echoed that sentiment in a recent interview on CBS News, calling efforts to defund public media 'foolhardy' and 'misguided.' In the final days leading up to the expected votes, PBS will share testimonials from fans as part of its 'Viewers Like Me' campaign, which it said had generated 5.1 million likes, comments and clicks since it started. And Kerger will make media appearances and answer questions from lawmakers in the days leading up to the decision. Advertisement 'Even for those who we assume are not going to necessarily vote for us on this round for whatever reason, we still want to use the moment to do one last push,' she said. This article originally appeared in .
Washington Post
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Musicians brace for impact as Senate vote on public radio looms
Bob Boilen didn't think there was anything to be worried about. When the co-creator of NPR's All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts retired from the organization in 2023, Congress had been funding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for more than 50 years. But if the rescission bill headed to the Senate this week is signed by President Donald Trump by July 18, the $1.1 billion-plus already allocated for the CPB's 2026 and 2027 budgets will be withdrawn.
UPI
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Bloc Party performs 'Banquet' at Tiny Desk concert
July 15 (UPI) -- British rockers Bloc Party performed their hit song "Banquet" during a new episode of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series released Tuesday. The song appears on their debut album, Silent Alarm, which dropped in 2005. Their set list also included "Signs" and "Mercury," which appear on their 2008 album Intimacy, and "Blue," from their 2023 EP, The High Life. Lead vocalist Kele Okereke played guitar alongside Russell Lissack. Harry Deacon and Louise Bartle provided background vocals, with Deacon on bass, keyboard and glockenspiel, and Bartle on drums. "This is a big deal for us, you know," Okereke said between songs. "NPR has introduced me to so much great music."
