Public Broadcasting in Peril: CPB Shuts Down After Funding Pulled – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it will officially shut down its operations following a major funding cut by the federal government. The move comes after President Donald Trump signed legislation to revoke $1.1 billion in grants previously allocated to the nonprofit for the next two years.
Created by Congress in 1967, CPB is an independent nonprofit that has long served as the main source of funding and support for public radio and television stations across the United States. The organization said it will begin an “orderly wind-down” of its work, with most operations ending by the close of the current fiscal year in September.
The news was confirmed after the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved an appropriations bill that eliminates CPB’s future funding—marking the first time in over 50 years that Congress has cut all federal support for the organization.
“Despite the tireless advocacy of millions of Americans who urged Congress to protect public broadcasting, we now face the hard truth of closing our doors,” said CPB President Patricia Harrison in a public statement.
President Trump has been a longtime critic of public broadcasters like NPR and PBS, often accusing them of biased reporting against him and other Republicans. Last month, Congress granted his administration’s request to rescind CPB’s funding, which it typically distributes in the form of grants to local media outlets.
The loss of CPB funding is expected to have a devastating impact—especially on rural and smaller public media stations. A CPB analysis showed that nearly 50% of rural stations depend on federal support for at least a quarter of their annual budget, making them especially vulnerable to closure.
Beyond financial support, CPB also handles important services for local stations, such as negotiating music licensing rights. Without this centralized support, individual stations will now have to cover those costs on their own—an added burden amid already shrinking budgets.
As part of the wind-down, most CPB employees will be laid off by the end of September. A small team will remain through January to manage the final stages of the shutdown.
The closure of CPB signals a major shift for public media in the U.S., with many stations now facing an uncertain future.