Forty years ago, the Reagan administration told PBS to find ways to increase funding for public television outside of taxpayer dollars.
It did.
PBS’ response to the challenge was to enhance the way it acknowledged sponsors. Instead of merely running a company logo before its programming, PBS let corporate underwriters place messages that looked more like standard commercials.
That process helped sustain such programs as “Nova,” “Masterpiece” and Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentaries. But it’s now under scrutiny from Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who says the spots “cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
In a Jan. 30 letter to PBS and NPR, which also airs corporate sponsorship messages, Carr stated his support for ending federal funding of public broadcasting.
“For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS,” he wrote, citing the array of media choices available to consumers.
Conservative politicians have long argued for cutting support of PBS and NPR, which they accuse of promoting liberal policies. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has proposed a bill calling for ending federal funding of the outlets, calling his legislation the Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda Act.
Republican administrations have tried to cut off government funding since the days of the Nixon White House. But in the age of DOGE, where Elon Musk is given free rein by President Trump to slice and dice the federal budget, Carr’s focus feels more urgent.
“Carr bringing this up so early in his chairmanship shows that this is something that he’s really interested in dealing with,” said Jeff McCall, a professor of communications at DePauw University. “That’s what makes it feel different.”
PBS and NPR are just the latest targets of Carr, who has been aggressive in attacking the owners of broadcast channels licensed by the government. His actions have dovetailed with Trump’s animus toward mainstream media outlets that cover him critically.
Since taking over as chairman, Carr has revived bias complaints against CBS, ABC and NBC over their 2024 presidential campaign coverage after the Biden administration dismissed them. He has taken public comments in an inquiry of a news distortion complaint against CBS over the way “60 Minutes” edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris before the election.
The complaints against CBS, ABC and NBC were filed by the Center for American Rights, a conservative nonprofit law firm.
Carr’s Jan. 30 letter raised no specific examples that showed PBS or NPR violating the rules for public broadcasters.
“We’ve always envisioned a small amount of government funding matched by philanthropy and then matched by corporate support,” said PBS President Paula Kerger in an interview. “We have worked with the FCC to make sure that we’re complying in the spirit of what they believe we should be doing.”
Katherine Maher, president and chief executive of “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” home NPR, also said in a statement that the service has adhered to the FCC guidelines on underwriting messages.
As far as the fate of federal funding for PBS is concerned, Kerger is used to playing defense when a new administration takes over the White House.
“I never make the assumption that our government funding is just going to continue in the way that it has,” Kerger said. “I think it’s up to us, frankly, every year to make the case of why public media is important.”
Kerger noted that most of the government funding goes directly to PBS member TV stations that are locally owned and managed. The $595 million requested for the next appropriation for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes government funds to public stations, is more vital for outlets in rural areas which were more likely to have voted for Trump.
“The budgets of those stations are smaller, and proportionately, the amount of government funding that goes to them is usually quite significant,” Kerger said. “Sometimes as much as 40 to 50% comes out of the federal appropriation. And so we argue for this money specifically because those stations clearly would not exist.”
During her tenure, Kerger has paid close attention to stations in smaller towns such as Cookeville, Tenn. that provide free over-the-air PBS programming to residents who can’t afford pay TV subscriptions or adequate broadband for streaming. The stations also provide a backup for the wireless emergency alert system used to send weather warnings and Amber alerts.
“The needs of Cookeville are different than New York City,” Kerger said. “And in the case of a state like Florida, our television stations actually run a really robust network of information for people, not only as a storm is approaching, but throughout the storm.”
Nonprofit organizations that run public radio and TV stations are urging their donors and listeners to call on their representatives in Congress to resist cuts. Public media funding has survived thanks to bipartisan support.
PBS SoCal and others are promoting Protect My Public Media Day on March 6 to rally support.
Stations are using the data from a recent YouGov poll commissioned by PBS that shows Trump voters are in favor of government funding for the service, with 65% of them saying the current levels are “about right or too little.”
While public media has fended off proposed cuts in the past, McCall believes PBS and NPR need to buckle up with a determined Carr in charge.
“Even when you had Republican presidents, I don’t think those [FCC] chairmen ever really had the stomach to deal with this kind of thing,” he said.
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