CONWAY, Ark. —In a notable example of how the loss of federal funding is forcing public stations to make massive cuts and operational changes, the statewide public television network in Arkansas has eliminated its affiliation with PBS. It will change its name from Arkansas PBS to Arkansas TV.

The network said the cancellation of federal funding created an unexpected loss of $2.5 million in annual money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. After a financial review of operations, the network reported that the “annual PBS membership dues of nearly $2.5 million were simply not feasible for the network or our foundation.”

In the interest of creating a sustainable model for public television in Arkansas, the Arkansas Educational Television Commission voted Dec. 11 to disaffiliate from PBS effective July 1, 2026.

Arkansas TV is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), KETZ (El Dorado), KETS (Lee Mountain), KETS (Forrest City), KETS (Yancy) and KETS (Gaither).

“Arkansas TV is our promise that visual storytelling—centered on the people, places and experiences of our state—remains at the core of everything we do,” executive director and CEO Carlton Wing said in a statement. “As we embrace our new identity as Arkansas TV, we are also making strategic decisions to ensure a sustainable model for public television in Arkansas and our ability to serve Arkansans for generations to come.”

Added Wing: “Public television in Arkansas is not going away. In fact, we invite you to join our vision for an increased focus on local programming, continuing to safeguard Arkansans in times of emergency and supporting our K-12 educators and students. We are profoundly grateful for the overwhelming support that donors, viewers and community partners have shown since this funding loss. We are confident that we can secure ongoing and increased support from individual donors, foundation partners and corporate sponsors who see the value in investing in new local programming that serves our state.”

The elimination of network affiliate fees to PBS is, however, unlikely to address the Arkansas TV’s financial woes on its own, an analysis of the service's finances by Semipublic found. During the Arkansas Educational Television Commission’s meeting, the network’s chief financial officer noted that its deficit would grow to $6 million by fiscal year 2030. A Semipublic examination of its finances indicated that count might be an underestimate, with the network’s actual deficit growing to as much as $7 million.

Shifting its strategy to a reliance on local programming can also be expensive and might have an unknown impact on fundraising efforts in the state.

In announcing the changes, the network stressed its mission “has remained steadfast: to educate, inform and inspire” and that it plans to provide more Arkansas-focused programming in the future.

As part of that effort, several new productions are currently in development. The 2026 lineup will feature two children's series, two food-related series, two history series and several others that are in the initial phases of development and fundraising.

“Through June 30, 2026, viewers can expect little to no change to the broadcast programming lineup,” the network reported. “Beginning July 1, 2026, the network is excited to deliver several new local shows, as well as favorites from the last 60 years. After July 1, 2026, there will remain a number of ways that PBS content can continue to be accessed. For more information, visit myarpbs.org/ArkansasTV.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Affiliate groups for the four major broadcast networks have asked the FCC to reclassify vMVPDs like YouTube TV so they are subject to the same rules for retransmission consent negotiations as traditional pay TV cable, satellite and telco providers. 

The ABC Television Affiliates Association, CBS Television Network Affiliates Association, FBC Television Affiliates Association, and NBC Television Affiliates made the comments in response to the Commission’s proposal to require multichannel video programming distributors (“MVPDs”) to provide rebates to customers who lose access to broadcast programming during contract disputes between programming suppliers and MVPDs. 

“Like the National Association of Broadcasters, the Affiliates Associations take no position on whether the Commission should adopt the proposals included in the NPRM [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking],” for rebates and blackout reporting, the affiliates argued. 

Instead, they argued that the FCC's plan would not benefit to many consumers without wider changes to the definition of what constitutes a pay TV operator. Currently vMVPDs are not subject to the same rules as traditional cable, satellite and telcos. 

“[T]he Affiliates Associations agree with Chairwoman Rosenworcel that consumers should not be forced to pay for services they do not receive,” the affiliates said. “Unfortunately, no matter how the Commission resolves the NPRM, an increasing number of consumers will continue to be forced to do just that when service disruptions occur. That is because, as noted in several comments, traditional MVPDs no longer dominate the multichannel video programming marketplace as they are increasingly displaced by unregulated companies that provide video services over the Internet (so-called `vMVPDs’). As the Affiliates Associations explained at length in their recent Reply Comments in the Commission’s impasse reporting docket, rapidly growing vMVPD services operate outside the retransmission consent framework established by statute and federal regulations due to the Commission’s inexplicable failure to complete its 2014 rulemaking that proposed classifying vMVPDs as MVPDs for purposes of the Commission’s rules.”

“In the meantime, as NCTA correctly notes, the meteoric rise of vMVPD subscribership has coincided with a precipitous drop in subscribers to traditional MVPDs,” the affiliates noted. “Consumers are freely substituting vMVPD service for MVPD service; this makes sense, as the two products are essentially identical but-for the technology by which they deliver programming to their subscribers. (Indeed, MVPDs like DISH and DIRECTV are also vMVPDs.) Typically, these services even enter the customer’s home over exactly the same physical infrastructure. Imposing additional regulations on `traditional’ MVPDs while leaving vMVPDs outside the retransmission consent framework is arbitrary, unfair, and affirmatively harmful to consumers. The Commission should heed the well-reasoned recommendations of the New York State Public Service Commission (the “NYPSC”), which correctly points out that requiring MVPDs to provide rebates during service interruptions while imposing no such obligation on vMVPDs is bad for consumers.”

Station groups have long pushed for reclassification. Currently networks and the major media companies that own them handle retransmission negotiations with vMVPDs. If they were reclassified pay TV operators, station groups would handle the deals, which they claim would boost their revenue. 

FCC chairwoman Rosenworcel has, however, expressed doubts that the FCC has authority to make the reclassification without new legislation. 

The filing also complained about filings from organizations and pay TV operators who have argued that the marketplace for negotiating retransmission consent agreements is “broken” and that the FCC needs to regulate it. 

“The retransmission consent market isn’t broken,” the affiliates argued. “It’s functioning exactly as Congress designed it to identify the value of broadcast programming. As Commissioner Simington notes, `[i]t is no sin to get paid, broadcasters produce content worth the price, and blackouts, infuriating though they are, are a feature of price discovery.’ Commission involvement in the marketplace will not improve results and will likely have wide-ranging unintended consequences. The market is changing to be sure, but the only intervention the retransmission marketplace needs now is for the Commission to correctly classify vMVPDs as MVPDs. Accordingly, the Commission should ignore the calls of a small number of commenters to convert this proceeding into an excuse for further regulation of the retransmission consent marketplace.”

The full filing is available here.  

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters announced that Fox Television and the CW Network will host meetings with their affiliated television station representatives at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. Also, the affiliate boards of directors of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox Television will once again hold meetings during the NAB Show.

The 2017 NAB Show marks the 10th consecutive year that the Fox affiliates will meet in conjunction with the NAB Show and the seventh year for The CW affiliates. This is the ninth consecutive year the ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC affiliate boards have met at the NAB Show. The Fox affiliates board also met at the show in 2008.

The convention will be held April 22-27, 2017 in Las Vegas, with 103,000 attendees from 166 countries and more than 1,700 exhibitors expected.