Corporation for Public Broadcasting To Shut Down After 58 Years (variety.com)
- Reference: 0180520515
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/26/01/05/235245/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-to-shut-down-after-58-years
- Source link: https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-shuts-down-trump-1236623793/
> The CPB was created by Congress by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 to support the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. The org noted that the rescission of all of CPB's federal funding came after years of political attacks. "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 CPB president/CEO Patricia Harrison. "When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPB's final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic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.
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> [...] "CPB's support extends to every corner of the country -- urban, rural, tribal, and everywhere in between," the org noted. "In many communities, public media stations are the only free source of trusted news, educational children's programming, and local and national cultural content." The CPB said that without funding, its board determined that "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."
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> As it closes, CPB is distributing its remaining funds, and also supporting the American Archive of Public Broadcasting in digitizing and preserving historic content. The CPB's own archives will be preserved at the University of Maryland, which will make it accessible to the public. "Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy," Harrison added. "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."
[1] https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-shuts-down-trump-1236623793/
Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority areas. (Score:5, Insightful)
NPR and PBS seems like it will continue. Small stations in rural areas are shutting down. So, no local weather alerts, and stuff like that. I also remember having free access to video editing equipment, and camera's if I wanted to produce anything myself, I'm sure that will go away too. Many now profitable shows started up for free under that system. It seems like tax money well spent, a few dollars a year per person.
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Guess they got what they voted for.
Re:Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority are (Score:5, Insightful)
calling npr leftist is wild
but then again thats the intention isn't it, slander anything center/moderate/liberal as far left propaganda to legitimize your own right wing propaganda, only they have the truth
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> calling npr leftist is wild
> but then again thats the intention isn't it, slander anything center/moderate/liberal as far left propaganda to legitimize your own right wing propaganda, only they have the truth
Hits the nail on the head.
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Uri Berliner would disagree (https://apnews.com/article/npr-editor-resigns-conservative-liberal-c259642e3920e99d5f05a7fe1a90012e). I myself stopped subscribing and listening after a couple decades upon noticing the shift. I no longer watch the PBS Newshour - again, same reasons. I miss the shows from both networks but as they were and are no longer.
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I disagree. I used to listen to NPR a lot, but finally got tired of it and quit because the majority of the stories are about some minority interest group angle. Story after story, hammering home the same narratives over and over. I think they're just doing what they think is right, but most of their stories are on social issues and all of their commentators have the exact same mindset.
Re:Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority are (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't hear much "leftist propaganda", except for them quoting Trump verbatim, or telling some stories about black history. Many of their stories I listen to have deep, deep dive into details, and are completely fact checked. They also retract things they say if they are wrong. I would like to hear anybody on FOX do even one retraction. They just keep spouting lies hoping nobody will notice. In any case, the right wing wet dream of getting rid of NPR doesn't look like it will happen... yet.... unless Trump goes full blown Dictator like Putin.
Re:Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority are (Score:5, Insightful)
Facts (and fact checking) are radical leftist now.
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Agreed. Antiques Road Show needs to stop with their critical race theory attacks on white people. /s
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Is that real?
Re:Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority are (Score:5, Insightful)
So fact based educational content is left leaning? Gotcha. That's what I keep hearing.
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Really? Covering up the Gaza genocide is a leftist position now? Supporting the Iraq war was leftist? Burying stories about Dow, ADM and Monsanto was leftist? Pretending that no one could predict the Mortgage Meltdown or the Dot Bomb so no one should be prosecuted was leftist? Etc. etc. etc.
Yeesh, I'd hate to see what it takes to qualify as 'right wing' in your book.
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> Supporting the Iraq war was leftist?
Unfortunately, yeah. The support was bipartisan. I hate Bush (and always opposed the Iraq war) but he did a good job building bipartisan support, I admit it.
Found the hypocrite. (Score:2)
> this website isn't for politics, asshole
You know who said that? [1] YOU. [slashdot.org]
[1] https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=23785894&cid=65636276
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> PBS is very left leaning, I hope is just disappears
Maybe you should take your own advice: [1]"Why do people like you have to use this site?? Please.. get-lost" [slashdot.org]
[1] https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=23882617&cid=65897483
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Yes, we know. Now all you have to do is convince those self same aforesaid rural listeners of that fact.
Re: Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority ar (Score:2)
PBS content includes some great scientific documentaries, like NOVA and Nature, that would be very hard to consider "leftist propaganda." Of course, these days any TV programming aimed above an 8th grade education level is considered leftist. Educated audiences have never been the GOP's base, and given the current war on education it seems like anything intelligent, truthful and informative is branded "leftist." You can tune to OAN to watch low-IQ rightist content with little factual or educational value
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It's wild to watch supposedly educated people try and rationalize in real time their political dogma.
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If merely reading the words of your cult leader offends you then you might want to do some self reflection.
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You know it's not fair to ask them to do that! They need to hear that they're the only real Americans, and the backbone of western civilization!
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The Reagan Badministration pretty much eliminated any 'leftists', they've only moved further and further to the right, even approving of the Iraq invasion.
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They have listeners. A small minority actually donate, but MANY listen to public radio or watch PBS educational and entertaining programs. Public broadcasting enjoyed by many. Yet, when the current administration ended Federal funds (only a portion of their revenue) MANY LISTENERS became paying members. That is proof (evidence for those drinking the Red Kool-Aid ) that Americans value the programs broadcast FREELY by PBS and Public radio. When you claim " where people don't listen to their leftist prop
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That WAS public access... I mixed the two up.
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Free access to video editing hardware and cameras was probably really useful 20 years ago. That said, now you can record high definition video on your phone, edit it on your laptop, and post yourself to YouTube.
If you're good it it, you can probably produce better content yourself that what was available on most small public access channels 20 years ago. Sure, you're not going to be able to produce the next Ken Burns war documentary that way, but the barriers of entry are much lower than what they were befo
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Plenty of books involving AI to show the way. ;-)
Re: Seems like this mostly hurts rural/minority ar (Score:2)
Soon we will se shows that are completely AI generated pushing some strange agenda.
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I wouldn't fuck them with YOUR dick, much less mine.
90% of media is owned by billionaires (Score:4, Insightful)
And they won't stop until it's 100%. You Trumpers won. All I can say is I hope you have the day you voted for.
My one consolation is that Trump is taking away your Medicare.
Re: RIP (Score:1)
"asinine funding drives" Oh you mean like end commercial interruptions like on regular tv? "NPR was so biased" You mean like every news network?
Re:RIP (Score:4, Insightful)
I watched PBS growing up and learned so much from this valuable resource. Cooking with Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. Home improvement and woodworking with Bob Vila and Norm. Can't forget the Woodright's Shop either. Or is building furniture by hand too woke ? Hell I don't particularly enjoy country music but I watched the entire Ken Burns series on it. Why? Because it was interesting and I learned something. Hell some years ago I caught a show about using muon detectors to passively scan the great pyramids.
Just more of the dumbing down of the country. Fuck everyone involved in this.
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You're absolutely correct. PBS was pretty cool.
must have Quality Learing center (Score:1)
where can we get learing with no public brodcast, need money?
Interesting to see divergence in pathes to fascism (Score:5, Insightful)
It's interesting that he chose not to co-opt public broadcasting for his own propaganda and instead chose to shut it down and rely on his good friends at Fox to do the propaganda for him. Had this been Russia, Putin would have put money into public broadcasting (and thumb screws of course), not cut it, and use it as a propaganda tool. Along the way of course Putin eliminated and co-opted private media companies until now there really only is the state-run media for news and political opinion, and dissenting voices are very effectively quelled and even disbelieved by most Russians. This is happening in the US now too under the threat of civil litigation by the president (so weird that people now think this is normal and acceptable). It's just a slightly different path is all.
Let's be clear. No one thing is a prelude to fascism. But it's certainly an interesting step and one of many. The GOP has wanted to end public broadcasting for decades. I think it's mainly about money and power. They want to control the narrative and make money off of it (Rush Limbaugh was one of their heroes). They used to be afraid to cut things like public broadcasting when they were in power just like how until recently all Conservatives in Canada would never have dared to try to eliminate the Canada Health Act. Trump has certainly emboldened right wingers' worst and most base instincts. Oh there I go with my TDS again. Need more meds. Oh wait, can't afford them now.
This whole thing sort of reminds me of a funny line from Yes Prime Minister where Humphries is explaining that even though most people don't (or can't) go to the National Theatre. they want it funded because it's nice to know that it's there, similar to the Church of England.
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This is cheaper and Fox will say what he wants already. Plus reducing the size and spend of the government is a primary goal. The kind of people who watch PBS aren't going to believe him anyway.
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> I think it's mainly about money and power
It's much simpler than that. There is a list of stuff the government should do. Running television stations isn't on that list for a lot of people. Nor radio stations. Nor newspapers. Nor publishing companies or social media networks.
Re:Yep - Big Bird and Cookie Monster are terrorist (Score:4, Insightful)
> They're currently accusing the current administration of doing EXACTLY what they'll gleefully do the instant they have any advantage.
Give it a rest. "accusing" the current administration of doing? Come on. The fascist administration knows no law, and they are abusing the law to the FULLEST.
SO don't give me that crap about "The Democrats MAY do it" They could have hung Trump out to dry with the Epstein files. They didn't because it wasn't *lawful* to do so.
God I hate you stupid anons. You think your argument holds water? Post under your real name. I think you know it's shit and are just stirring your own little shit pot.
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Oh please. Those Bolsheviks leak like a sieve. If those files had anything at all to do with Trump it would have been on the front page of the NYT or WaPo while Alzheimers-boy was president.
Now run along.
Uhhh... (Score:2)
> The org noted that the rescission of all of CPB's federal funding came after years of political attacks. "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 CPB president/CEO Patricia Harrison.
Every American has or can have access to the internet thru various free/subsidized broadband access as well as free/subsidized smartphones, and even internet access subsidized in schools and libraries.
I don't think there is a problem for anyone to get access to PBS/NPR content - is there some benefit to watching PBS/hearing NPR off the public airwaves, or is streaming either acceptable.
The CPB money went to buy programming and run transmitters/studios, that's about it.
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> is there some benefit to watching PBS/hearing NPR off the public airwaves
Yes. We don't have to give the broadband providers and cellular system operators a 'cut of the action'. Even if it is free/subsidized for the public, the aforementioned parties get quite a pile of money from the government*. And now they'll have one less competitor.
*The [1]Universal Service Fund [wikipedia.org] being just one example of a pile of money that never seems to trickle down to the public.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Service_Fund
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so you would prefer more overt propaganda on FOX? okay. meanwhile there are fewer resources that teach kids to literally fucking read. but no big deal, you think what you think.
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Well, even when the Leftist abscond with billions for education programs, they are still failing miserably. Look at the dropout rates, the math and reading scores, pick one (or all) in any major metro shit hole that the Democrats have run for generations. They don't care if those kids can read or not as long as they do what they're told by the party.
Sit there and shut up, pull this lever, here's your crumbs. We'll let you know when we need you again.
Fuck you.
Next target will be (Score:2)
The Kaiser Family Foundation
PBS is a treasure (Score:1)
While PBS are left leaning, they are not at all propaganda. It's one of the few stations where news is still not treated as entertainment.
I still remember am early interview with someone from the Trump team during his first term.
The interviewee immediately started quoting alternate facts and Judie had this look of, "You're... going to do this here?" in disbelief.
To those blaming rural areas for this... When the Democratic party was propping up Maga candidates using commercials with Maga language... Your pa
What was it the Queen of Hearts said? (Score:2)
Vote and kick these fuqwits down the road.
trump did not try to force an TV license? (Score:3)
trump did not try to force an TV license?
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> trump did not try to force an TV license?
His advisors told him that he wouldn't be able to get a cut. Not even a measly 5%.