National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) have been plunged into crisis after the body that provides their funds confirmed it was closing.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced Friday it was winding down operations shortly after the Trump administration ended federal funding for both broadcasters – bowing to an executive order from the president in the process.
The order, signed on May 1, had demanded the private broadcasting corporation responsible for funneling federal funding from Congress to the two firms, ‘cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law.’
It also stated that NPR and PBS regularly produce ‘biased and partisan news coverage’.
THE CBP informed its roughly 100 staffers Friday that the majority of staff positions will end on September 1, a day before the deadline disclaimed in Donald Trump’s executive order.
Patricia Harrison, the president and CEO of the company, lamented the looming loss of the company in a statement, saying it comes ‘despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB.’
Such efforts fell flat, when Senate Republicans advanced a funding bill that also included no money for public media last week.
The move came on the heels of a successful bid to remove $1.1billion in federal funding previously allocated to the CPB to be split amongst both broadcasters.
The logo of the National Public Radio, which will be without federal funding after almost six decades in September when the company responsible for funneling federal funds to the broadcaster fully closes
PBS will be in the same boat. The company receives a congressional appropriation each year of about $500M. CPB allocates the money mostly to public television and radio stations, with some assigned to NPR and PBS to support national programming
‘We now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,’ Harrison wrote in response.
‘CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.’
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