My first reporting job after graduating from university was for the electronic media of product publications in the television industry. It was sent to Washington, D.C. to cover the Federal Communications Commission, Congress and public media. Handling beats shortly after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was to regulating media ownership and dealing with the intense time to set the stage for today’s media giant’s huge growth.
During that short stint in DC, I learned a lot about the value of public media. And they predicted that it would be more important to the community they served as home pubcasters took local commercial television and radio stations, making them part of a large, faceless national chain.
In that job I learned about the complex internal mechanisms of companies for public broadcasting. This helped fund the operation of local public television and radio stations. CPB played a key role in funding documentaries, science and nature fares, children’s shows and other programs.
“Sesame Street”, “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood”, “Nova”, “Front Line” – a list of important programming that probably doesn’t exist without the help of CPB continues.
But from the beginning, public broadcasting was on the crosshairs of right-wing politicians who challenged the idea that governments support socially relevant and often educational fares. They criticized it as “liberal” or “left-leaning.” They criticized the stories that showed empathy, exposed injustice, and taught children how to read as partisan. In 1969, as the Nixon administration tried to zero government support for public broadcasting, “Mr.” Fred Rogers saved the day and secured the funds simply by demonstrating the power of the medium. “I feel that on public television, when emotions are mentioned and you can’t make it clear that it’s easy to manage, I have given you some great services for your mental health,” he said.
Not all conservatives are the enemy of public broadcasting. There was an epic tradition of bipartisan support for government funding, and many Republicans protected their local PBS stations, just like Democrats. All striped polls knew how popular PBS and NPR were, but ultimately they didn’t want to face the rage of angry constituents wondering where the big birds went. And in many rural areas frequently represented by Congressional Republicans, public radio and television stations were lifelines. Often, it is the only broadcasting station that can share important emergency information.
Until recently, they felt there was enough support to protect public broadcasting from these ongoing political threats. But these are different periods, and the cult of personality around President Trump is stealing the backbone that Republicans in public media once had. Republican Congress in July approved the Trump withdrawal package, eliminating $1.1 billion in critical funding for public broadcasting approved for the next two years. Without that money, the company for public broadcasting will be shut down. And the fate of hundreds of television and radio stations is in the air.
It’s heartbreaking and I’m pleased that the TV Academy highlights the tragic situation by honoring CPB at the Governor’s Award. The Academy announced a special Emmy to CPB president and CEO Patricia de Stacey Harrison (Republican), who has been leading the organization since last weekend in 2005.
So far, attempts to recover CPB funding have failed, and we don’t know if that will happen under this administration. The decline in public broadcasting services is consistent with what the Trump administration is trying to do when it whitewash history at museums, helping to ban books, and appealing to media companies to silence and other sleazy moves. Despots prefer to keep their components in the darkness, and repaying PBS/NPR is one way to eliminate important sources and truths. We hope that the ultimately revived CPB will help fund the stories we all need to hear.
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I asked Harrison to provide an update on where things are in the CPB via a few questions about email. Here was her response:
What happens next to the organization? How are public broadcasters funded without CPB?
Without federal funding, CPB must hold back our business. Without CPB, public media systems face deep challenges. The public media fundraising model was designed as a three-legged stool, with federal funds distributed by the CPB being used repeatedly by state and other grants, as well as by audiences and listeners. Public media stations must rely on more contributions from the public, basics and corporate underwriting.
Over the past few months, we have been poured in support for public media. That’s proof of what Americans feel about public media. But that’s not enough. Many local stations
– They rely on CPB funds to stay in the air, especially in rural areas and underserved areas. Loss of federal support means fewer educational resources for children, fewer local news coverage, and less access to emergency alerts and community services is likely. And it’s not just programming. It’s about infrastructure and public trust.
Is there a way that CPB still exists without Congressional funding?
The CPB was created by Congress to become the custodian of federal funds for public broadcasting, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are wisely invested to enhance public media services for all Americans. Without the council budget, the CPB will not be able to meet the mission council allocated to us. We are already seeing the impact of withdrawal funds. Layoffs at local stations, programming cuts, and the community left scrambling to fill the gap within three months.
What are your plans to work to keep the CPB alive or restore funds?
Our initial responsibility is to respect our commitment and to decline in a way that minimizes harm from withdrawal. This requires time and resources, especially as it is a disaster recipe for rural and high-risk stations, as it cuts off public media in just three months after nearly 60 years of federal assistance.
Through this transition, CPB’s board and management continue to be committed to the stewardship mission. We continue to work with Congress on ways to mitigate damage and put stations and communities at their most risk.
What do you think is the misconception people may have about CPB?
There is a great deal of confusion in the ocean of alphabet soup, which is used for public media (PBS, CPB, NPR, APTS, and station call letters).
CPB is unique. We are the public part of public-private partnerships in public media and are fully funded through the federal budget. Do not create or distribute content. Instead, Congress created the CPB to distribute federal dollars and keep public media strong, accountable and political influence free. With council funding, we support both radio and television stations, directing more than 70% of our budget directly to local stations. It also funds independent filmmakers, allowing viewers to access a variety of stories they can see and hear elsewhere. CPB’s support ranges from cities, countrysides, tribes and every corner of the country, anywhere in between. In many communities, public media stations are the only free source of trustworthy news, educational children’s programming, and local and national cultural content.
What are you most proud of for implementing it during the multideceade running that oversees CPB?
I’m proud of a lot, but the CPB’s commitment to helping stations move from outreach to the community, in particular, contributes to a complete partnership between local stations that cater to local needs.
And I’m proud of my alumni in America. CPB’s Public Media Initiative was launched in 2011 and will help resolve the country’s high school dropout crisis and keep young people on the path to high school diplomas. CPB worked with the Public Media Station of High Dropout Communities to help increase graduation rates from 2011 to 2020. This initiative evolved into American alumni: Jobs explained. It uses social media videos to help young people prepare for high-demand jobs and careers.
CPB also responded quickly to the rise of the news desert by creating and funding collaborations for local and local public media journalism. Among the news and information, I am particularly proud of my efforts to help Newsgarters and producers provide the highest standard of fact-based reporting. From editorial and ethics seminars for editors and journalists, to national initiatives such as support for local newsrooms to frontline transparency projects, CPB’s funding has helped journalists ensure that the tools, resources and transparent journalism they need to provide just, accurate, balanced, objective, objective and transparent journalism that serves the American people.
What does it mean to you that CPB is recognized by EMMYS? How important is it to remind people of their work at CPB?
It was an extraordinary honor for CPB to win the Governors Award at the Television Academy. This recognition affirmed the enduring value of public media and the role CPB played in supporting groundbreaking documentary filmmaking, iconic educational programming, and local journalism and cultural programming that reflects American experience.
It is a moment that reminds viewers that CPB is not a producer or distributor, which reminds them that they are the custodian of federal investment in public broadcasting. For 58 years, CPB has innovated digitally and provided the station with resources to connect with new audiences. He also supported filmmakers and content creators working with scientists, doctors, educators, historians, journalists and researchers, providing Americans with the highest standards of programming that educate, inform and inspires them. And we protected editorial independence and ensured that public media remained accurate, fair, balanced, and free of political influence.
At a time of growing information gaps, the award highlights the important role public media plays in providing fact-based content that helps neighbors and communities to inform and stay connected to one another.
