It’s the kind of news that hits home for millions of Americans who grew up watching Sesame Street or tuning in to NPR during their morning commute.
A cornerstone of public broadcasting in the U.S. is now on shaky ground—possibly for good.
On Friday, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the key organization that distributes federal funding to NPR and PBS, announced it is shutting down operations.
This dramatic move follows the Trump administration’s decision to cut off all government support to the two media giants.
Trump’s Executive Order Sparks the Collapse
The unraveling began back on May 1, when former President Donald Trump signed an executive order that essentially pulled the plug on federal funding for public broadcasting.
The order instructed CPB to “cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law,” accusing NPR and PBS of consistently producing “biased and partisan news coverage.”
While critics argue this move is politically motivated, supporters of the order see it as a step toward trimming government influence and spending. Either way, it triggered a chain reaction.
CPB Tells Staff the End Is Near
After months of uncertainty, CPB broke the news to its 100 staff members on Friday: most of their jobs will end on September 1.
That’s just one day before the order’s deadline.
In a heartfelt message, CPB president and CEO Patricia Harrison expressed sorrow over the organization’s fate.
She acknowledged the immense public support to save federal funding, saying, “This comes despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress.”
Unfortunately, those efforts didn’t change the outcome.
Senate Republicans Push Through a Funding Bill Without Public Media
Just last week, Senate Republicans advanced a funding package that completely omitted any money for public broadcasting.
This followed the administration’s successful push to eliminate a previously approved $1.1 billion earmarked for CPB—funds that would have been split between NPR and PBS.
Faced with this new reality, Harrison wrote, “We now face the difficult reality of closing our operations.”
Still, she promised that CPB would continue to honor its responsibilities and support its partners “with transparency and care” during the shutdown process.
What Happens to Local Stations?
While many associate PBS and NPR with their national programming, most of CPB’s annual budget—around 70% of that $1.1 billion—actually goes to local affiliate stations.
These community stations often rely heavily on federal support to stay afloat, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
That funding has now dried up.
PBS, which produces beloved educational and news content like PBS NewsHour and Sesame Street, typically receives just over $500 million annually.
NPR, based in Washington, D.C., usually receives a similar amount.
Without CPB acting as the go-between, those funds are no longer reaching their destinations.
A Developing Crisis for Public Broadcasting
This is a developing story, and more updates are expected in
