SEATTLE—Cascade PBS has launched Local Public, a wholly-owned public benefit subsidiary that will be offering app solutions to public media stations across the U.S.

Local Public enables stations to offer a locally-branded, locally-curated streaming video service across connected TV, web and mobile platforms.

Cascade PBS reported that Local Public currently supports 18 PBS stations across the country with streaming applications available on all major platforms. Additional stations will launch in the coming months.

“Public media has always been strongest when it is deeply rooted in the communities it serves,” Rob Dunlop, Cascade PBS president & CEO, said. “Streaming shouldn’t diminish that connection—it should strengthen it. Local Public gives stations the tools to create digital experiences that reflect their communities, deepen audience engagement and build a more sustainable future for public media.”

The launch grew out of an initiative by Cascade PBS to strengthen its own digital future that evolved into a standalone business. That business is now helping a growing coalition of stations nationwide build stronger connections with their communities in the streaming era.

Stations that have joined Local Public span the country include:

• Arizona PBS
• Buffalo-Toronto Public Media
• Cascade PBS (Seattle-Tacoma and Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick)
• Houston Public Media
• KPBS (San Diego)
• KVIE (Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto)
• Lehigh Valley PBS
• Nashville PBS
• OPB (Oregon)
• PBS Charlotte
• Rocky Mountain PBS (Colorado)
• SCETV (South Carolina)
• Vegas PBS
• WCTE (Upper Cumberland, Tennessee)
• WETA (Washington, D.C.)
• WHRO (Norfolk–Portsmouth–Newport News)
• WHYY (Philadelphia)
• WQED (Pittsburgh)

In launching the new company, Cascade PBS noted that local stations have long been the essential link between national programming (such as “Masterpiece” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”) and the communities they serve. Local stations curate schedules, produce their own shows and build relationships with viewers—who then sustain public media through their support of the station.

As audiences increasingly consume content through streaming platforms, maintaining that local connection has become both more challenging and more important.

Local Public aims to address this challenge by helping public media outlets deliver streaming experiences crafted for the audiences they know best. Rather than a one-size-fits-all experience, local outlets can showcase their own local stories, highlight community priorities, strengthen audience relationships and create a clearer pathway for viewers to directly support their local station.

“Local Public represents the possibilities when local public media organizations work together to build better products, faster, that meet the needs of our audiences and reflect what’s most important to our communities,” said Amanda Mountain, president & CEO, Rocky Mountain Public Media, which is already using their solutions.

Cascade PBS also stressed that its own Local Public-powered streaming products demonstrate the effectiveness of a local-first approach with:

• Higher Donation Revenue: Local Public-powered apps have increased contributions by 53%.
• Accelerated Donor Acquisition: Local Public apps have generated 30% more new supporters.
• Stronger Donor Retention: Donors acquired through Local Public apps have a 7% higher retention rate.

COLUMBIA, Md.—LTN, a major provider of IP-based video transport and network services, has been selected by PBS as its IP video partner to modernize and future-proof content distribution and contribution across more than 330 public television stations.

Under the multi-year agreement, LTN will implement a fully managed IP network, providing end-to-end connectivity, ISP services, and two-way video transport across all station locations and service sites.

“PBS is modernizing and strengthening its Interconnection system to future-proof the platform and support the future of public media. Our IP network delivers the scale, reliability, and flexibility required to support that transformation,” said Malik Khan, co-founder and executive chairman, LTN. “LTN is proud to provide the network, reliability, and operational foundation required to support one of the largest and most important media networks in the U.S.”

The LTN Network will support distribution of public television content, including PBS East and PBS West feeds, PBS KIDS, Create, NHK World, and FNX with the ability to deliver up to nine linear feeds to PBS member stations.

The platform will also enable always-on content sharing among stations and support station contribution workflows for regional and national distribution of locally produced content. In addition, LTN will power contribution workflows for OTT distribution platforms, PBS Platforms like pbs.org and PBS Digital.

“Moving to a scalable, IP-based infrastructure will increase reliability, reduce costs, and enable new opportunities for content sharing, collaboration, and audience reach across the entire PBS system,” said Dana Golub, Vice President of Strategic Infrastructure Initiatives at PBS.

The deployment will begin immediately and continue through the end of 2026.

WASHINGTON—The House Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies this week proposed zero funding for local public broadcasting stations’ educational content and services in its fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills.

Congress nixed funding for PBS’s “Ready to Learn” children’s educational program—which provides competitive grants for local community educational initiatives—when it eliminated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2025. CPB voted to dissolve the organization earlier this year.

This week’s refusal to restore funding elicited a strong response from America’s Public Television Stations, which just last week held its virtual “Protect My Public Media” campaign.

“In addition to being deeply disappointed, as we noted last week, that the House Appropriations Committee did not restore funding for local public broadcasting stations in its FY 2027 Labor-HHS-Education bill, we now know that the bill also neglects to fund the Ready To Learn program, a critically important education competitive grant program that supports the creation and distribution of educational media content and services to millions of children across America,” said Kate Riley, president and CEO of APTS.

“It is deeply disheartening that the House Appropriations Committee proposes to eliminate a proven educational program that provides trusted, free access to content and local services for our nation’s youngest learners—content that is especially important for the over 50% of three- to four-year-olds that do not attend a formal preschool.

“For over three decades, this highly successful program has been proven to prepare children for success in school and life by using the power of public television’s on-air, online, mobile and on-the-ground educational content and services to build the science, math and literacy skills of children ages two to eight, especially those from low-income families.

“The program combines the ability of public television to reach nearly 97% of Americans with a free over-the-air signal, with on-the-ground local station engagement that helps families and teachers make the most of these media resources locally,” she concluded.

Riley pointed to a recently released report from the Education Development Center documenting the significant positive impact Ready to Learn content and the wraparound local-station community outreach services have on the educational outcomes for our nation’s youngest learners.

“Ready to Learn provides parents and caregivers with scientifically based, state standards-aligned media tools to improve their children’s literacy and STEM skills,” she said. “It also builds community engagement through partnerships facilitated by local public television stations to effectively target services where they are most needed.

“Notwithstanding today’s committee action, we remain hopeful that the strong bipartisan support for local public media’s educational services, both in Congress and among the American people, will ultimately result in full funding for Ready to Learn as the appropriations process moves forward.”

Montclair State University has been selected as the operator of NJ PBS, New Jersey’s network of four state-owned public TV stations, ending a period of uncertainty about the broadcaster’s future in the wake of federal funding cuts.

New Jersey State Treasurer Aaron Binder and the university announced the five-year deal to make the university the programming and management operator of NJ PBS. The state legislature now has 15 days to review the contract between the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority and the university. Lawmakers have expressed strong support for NJ PBS to continue operations.

Montclair State was one of four bidders for the management contract, which follows months of uncertainty over NJ PBS’s future. The WNET Group, parent of WNET New York and WLIW Garden City, N.Y., had operated NJ PBS since 2011, but said last fall that it wouldn't renew its contract with the NJBPA, citing significant state and federal budget cuts.

WNET Group’s contract is set to expire June 30. That prompted fears NJ PBS might shutter at the end of this month.

“Public broadcasting is a vital public service that ensures New Jersey families have access to trusted news, educational programming, and information about their communities,” said New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat. “At a time when local journalism faces growing challenges, today’s action keeps this essential service alive in New Jersey.”

The five-year agreement includes two five-year extensions and makes Montclair State responsible for programming the network and providing at least six hours per week of New Jersey-centric programming, including a nightly newscast on weeknights and other public-affairs programming; live broadcasts of the governor's State of the State Address and budget message; and New Jersey election coverage.

Public television has long held importance to government officials in New Jersey, who argue the state is underserved by commercial and public TV stations in nearby New York and Philadelphia. In 1968, the state established the NJPBA to launch and operate the four stations, known on-air as New Jersey Network (NJN) until former Gov. Chris Christie ended direct state involvement and inked the deal with WNET Group in 2011. The NJPBA still holds the station licenses.

“New Jersey’s public television stations exist to serve every resident of this state, and this selection reflects our commitment to ensuring that mission continues on a sustainable, long-term foundation,” said Rick Williams, NJBPA executive director. “Montclair State University brings broadcast-ready infrastructure, deep community ties, and a demonstrated commitment to New Jersey journalism. We look forward to working with the University and the Legislature as this transition moves forward.”

In announcing the deal, MSU said it plans to reimagine public media and expand the value public broadcasting can provide to New Jersey residents. As part of that effort, it said it plans to draw on the state’s 300-plus news organizations, its colleges and universities and its diverse communities to create and inform programming made stronger through collaboration and shared expertise.

In addition to a robust broadcast presence with daily newscast and discussion programming, NJ PBS said it will focus significant efforts on digital and social media content as well as in-person events and public engagement.

MSU’s proposal used existing university assets to create an operational budget that reflects the difficult financial climate for public media in the wake of the Trump Administration's push to end federal funding.

Montclair State has committed to providing $1.2 million annually of in-kind contributions, including studio access, engineering expertise, IT infrastructure, human resources, finance, legal, and facilities management. It also includes teaching and internship opportunities for students.

The station will be housed in MSU’s College of Communication and Media. The college has a production facility, complete with professional broadcast studios and film stages, multiple control rooms, a multimedia newsroom and engineering infrastructure built for network-level production. Faculty and staff bring extensive professional experience in the New Jersey and national media landscapes, and the college has been nationally recognized for its work while preparing the next generation of New Jersey media professionals.

More than 20 full-time employees will initially operate NJ PBS, including three reporters and a production team of 11. Students will also participate through internships and supervised experiential learning opportunities.

In addition, MSU said that the Center for Cooperative Media, housed within its College of Communication and Media, will help build the backbone of NJ PBS’s statewide journalism model.

The university said the center’s longstanding relationships with hundreds of New Jersey news organizations provide NJ PBS with an existing statewide journalism ecosystem to support collaborative reporting and community-informed storytelling across all regions of the state. Montclair’s operation of NJ PBS will also include content partnerships, including collaborative agreements with other New Jersey colleges and universities as well as civic, arts and news organizations, ensuring network content reflects the diversity and talents of New Jersey’s residents and communities.

MSU plans to produce a daily newscast and discussion program, a weekly public affairs roundtable, and sports coverage, including a formal partnership with the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

WASHINGTON—America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) said it will hold its annual Protect My Public Media Day on Thursday, June 4.

Organized by Protect My Public Media, a national grassroots advocacy campaign overseen by APTS Action, the day of advocacy and awareness focuses on protecting the future of local public-media stations.

The virtual event brings together local public media stations, partner organizations and the public to highlight the value of local service and to explain the importance of restoring federal funding for those services.

Protect My Public Media Day comes at a key moment in the fiscal year 2027 appropriations process, as Congress begins considering legislation that could restore funding to local public media stations and help secure their future.

“Last year, Congress voted to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), but local public media stations were hit the hardest by this action because they received the vast majority of CPB funding,” APTS President and CEO Kate Riley said. “Since federal funding was eliminated, stations have been forced to reduce local programming, lay off staff, scale back community-focused services and delay critical infrastructure upgrades, diminishing the local service communities rely on and putting dozens of stations at risk of closure, particularly in more rural areas.

“Local stations across the country are serving their communities in unmatched ways but their ability to continue these essential services is seriously threatened if federal funding for local stations is not restored,” she added. “We are grateful to the local public media stations, partners and advocates who are coming together on Protect My Public Media Day to raise their voices to advocate for a future that supports strong local public media stations.”

The theme for this year’s Public Media Day is “Locally Rooted. Rising Together.”

Supporters of local public media stations can visit this website to participate in Protect My Public Media Day, take action and share how local stations have made a difference in their lives.

For more information, visit the APTS website.

EUREKA, Calif.— Public broadcaster KEET PBS has adopted two components of the Public Media Venture Group (PMVG) TechBundle suite of integrated services designed to modernize operations in response to a loss of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

“We knew we had to make a significant change,” said Amy Stem-Faulk, general manager at KEET PBS. “The combination of funding pressures, staffing changes and aging infrastructure made our existing model unsustainable.”

KEET PBS deployed the PMVG TechBundle’s Public Media Management (PMM) Cloud and transmission and monitoring services from Transmission Services Group (TSG). The combination provides the station with a cohesive, jointly delivered solution across master control, transmission and monitoring. The move also makes KEET PBS the first public media station to adopt two parts of the bundle, PMVG said.

“By implementing PMM Cloud and TSG services, we are able to modernize our operations, reduce complexity and move forward with confidence, while continuing to serve our community with the reliability our viewers expect,” said Stem-Faulk.

At the core of this transition is PMM Cloud, a centralized, cloud-based, fully managed master control solution. By moving master control operations to the cloud and pairing them with TSG’s managed transmission and monitoring services, KEET PBS is reducing its on-premises technical footprint.

The transition enables KEET PBS to move from multiple equipment racks to a streamlined setup that can operate within a small studio or transmitter environment.

“We are proud to partner with PMM to offer a truly turnkey solution for the public media system,” said Jim DeChant, director of operations for TSG, powered by HC Jeffries Tower Company. “By combining PMM’s cloud-first master control with TSG’s expert transmission management, we are giving stations like KEET PBS a sustainable path forward, ensuring their vital local content reaches viewers with maximum efficiency and zero downtime.”

As part of joining the PMM network, KEET PBS will also gain access to a broader ecosystem of public media partners. Stations such as PBS SoCal are working alongside KEET to share best practices and help streamline operations. This provides an added layer of collaboration and support beyond the core technology services.

The full suite of PMVG TechBundle services also includes traffic and streaming components.

More information is available on the PMM website.

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s executive order to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service was unconstitutional.

The ruling’s impact is unclear. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia noted that since Congress withdrew funding through last year’s Rescissions Act, and because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has dissolved, no order can provide “meaningful relief” regarding that specific pool of money.

But Judge Randolph Moss repeatedly wrote in the Tuesday ruling that President Trump’s order crossed the line of the First Amendment. Moss was appointed to the D.C. district court in 2014 under President Obama’s administration.

Moss said that the order was issued without regard to nationwide interconnection systems, calling such distribution the “backbones” of public radio and TV.

Colorado Public Radio was a partner in the lawsuit challenging the executive order, along with NPR, Aspen Public Radio and KSUT. CPR said in a release that the ruling prevents the executive order from restricting CPR and other stations from using any federal funds for NPR content. In December, Radio World reported on the stations’ concerns.

NPR, according to its own reporting, said that it was not clear what the decision, which could be appealed by the Trump administration, would mean for the future of federal funding of public broadcasting. But the organization’s comments celebrated the decision.

“Today’s ruling is a decisive affirmation of the rights of a free and independent press — and a win for NPR, our network of stations and our tens of millions of listeners nationwide,” Katherine Maher, NPR’s president and CEO, said in a release.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement: “This is a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge attempting to undermine the law.”

Representatives from the three Colorado public radio stations, according to a release, said the stations remain prepared to defend the ruling should the Trump administration appeal.

Timeline
The executive order issued by President Trump last May ultimately clawed back $1.1 billion in funding that Congress had set aside for public media outlets. Later last year, it led to a dispute between CPB and NPR over public radio distribution.

CPB dissolved this past February.

The D.C. court acknowledged in its order that while the federal government may impose limits on grants or fund its own speech to promote specific perspectives, “the First Amendment draws a line, which the government may not cross, at efforts to use government power — including the power of the purse — ‘to punish or suppress disfavored expression’ by others.”

Although CPB has been dissolved, the court clarified that this does not render the case moot because the executive order “sweeps beyond the CPB.”

The court is also issuing a permanent injunction to prevent federal agencies from enforcing the executive order.

In a statement, PBS, said it was “thrilled with today’s decision,” calling the president’s order a “textbook unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and retaliation, in violation of longstanding First Amendment principles.”

ARLINGTON, Va.—Scott Nourse has been named chief technology officer at PBS, tasked with leading the public TV network’s technology strategy and operations and with overseeing the teams and platforms powering digital services, infrastructure and innovation.

A 15-year PBS veteran, he’ll be responsible for advancing the network’s technology vision, strenthening reliability and security and ensuring alignment with the group’s mission, PBS said. “Scott is a proven technology leader who will help PBS and its member stations remain a hub for innovators who find fresh ways to serve audiences content that entertains and inspires them,” PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said. “His leadership will be instrumental as PBS continues to evolve its digital platforms, support system leaders, and deliver for audiences nationwide.”

Before PBS, Nourse led product operations for Sony Pictures Interactive. He also worked for many years at digital ad agencies, managing creative services for such clients as Visa USA, TNT, AMC and the U.S. Postal Service.

“I’m honored to take on this role at a pivotal moment for public media,” Nourse said. “As audiences’ viewing habits continue to evolve, technology is essential to ensuring PBS remains accessible, resilient, and trusted. I look forward to partnering across PBS to build and sustain the platforms and services our stations rely on to serve audiences wherever they watch.”

On Thursday, Corporation for Public Broadcasting President and CEO Patricia Harrison delivered her final remarks during the organization’s last board meeting.

In remarks obtained by TV Tech sister brand NicRadio World, Harrison said that following Congress’ rescission of federal funding for public media, CPB realized it could no longer operate in the manner the American public has come to expect.

“In a profound irony, it is precisely because public media remains so essential to American civic life that CPB’s final act must be to dissolve for the greater good,” Harrison said.

Harrison, 87, became CEO of CPB in 2005.

CPB’s board of directors voted to dissolve the organization at the beginning of the month, after 58 years of operation.

On the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) honored Harrison in his remarks.

“Throughout her tenure, Harrison ensured that CPB’s investments strengthened service to local communities and delivered lasting public value,” he said.

Why?
In her remarks, Harrison attempted to address the exact reasoning behind the organization’s defunding.

“Was it a burden to the taxpayer?” she asked. “Was this a cost-saving move? No. Unlike in other countries where citizens are heavily taxed — for example, the BBC and the NHK — American public media outlets reflect the free-enterprise and volunteer ethic of our citizens.

“For $1.65 a year in taxes — less than the cost of a cup of coffee — every American has access to content that inspires independent thinking and understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Americans living in a vibrant democracy,” she said.

But in the wake of the federal rescission of funding for public media, CPB came to the realization that it had limited time to protect its legacy and the work it had done, Harrison said.

“The longer CPB tried to exist without funding, the higher the prospect that our remaining funds would never reach the public media system already reeling from the defunding,” she said.

The organization was also concerned that any remaining funding could become subject to content-based restrictions and compliance demands that would “further harm stations” and erode public trust.

“After all of the political attacks and congressional defunding, we recognized a hard truth: Without funding and independence, CPB risked becoming a liability to public media rather than a protector of it — something that looked intact from the outside but was hollow at its core,” she said.

Compliance
According to Harrison, CPB was the first organization to sue the Trump administration over “attacks” on public media’s independence and the withholding of appropriated funds. She said that the organization refused to comply with executive directives that violated its mission or the editorial independence of local stations, continuing to fund PBS and NPR until the end.

“We could have survived by complying with demands for political control over news coverage, by rewriting history, by limiting the stories and information shared with the American public, by abandoning diverse talent, or by supporting content that increases divisiveness through disinformation,” Harrison said.

“But that was never going to happen on our watch, and that is less than what the American people deserve.”

Since October, Harrison said that CPB has granted approximately $170 million to the public media system. It has also invested in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting and helped to fund national distribution of locally produced programming through American Public Television, she said.

Legacy
Harrison concluded her remarks by thanking CPB’s board, PBS’ CEO Paula Kerger and then she closed with a call to action.

“The future of public media and our nation depends on each of you. It depends on our collective ability to look upon the next evolution of media and ensure it is harnessed for the purpose of educating and connecting all people,” she said.

“Together, we will prove that a nation of neighbors will survive.”

WASHINGTON—In a joint filing with the Federal Communications Commission, America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and PBS highlighted the importance of NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 for the future of public broadcasting but asked the regulator not to set a firm date for cutting off ATSC 1.0 broadcasts.

The NAB, Pearl TV, state broadcast associations and large commercial broadcasters have been pushing for a firm sunset to ATSC 1.0 signals.

In a separate filing with the FCC, Pearl TV, which is backed by major commercial station groups, argued that "a clear deadline is the only way to align incentives across broadcasters, manufacturers, and retailers. Threshold-based approaches would replicate the early confusion of the DTV transition and prolong uncertainty. A firm date provides the predictability necessary for investment and consumer clarity."

APTS and PBS, who referred to themselves as PTV in the filing, said PTV “supports the Commission’s proposal to facilitate and accelerate the ongoing voluntary transition to NextGen TV by removing regulatory hurdles and providing broadcasters with maximum flexibility for the transition. These proposed changes will empower all local stations, including local public television stations, to deploy ATSC 3.0 at their discretion and at the appropriate pace to best serve the unique needs of their local communities and local audiences.”

The filing stressed that PTV supports enabling local stations to best meet viewers’ needs by eliminating regulatory barriers and providing maximum flexibility for local station decision-making.

“PTV agrees with the Commission that the continued permissive, flexible deployment of ATSC 3.0 by local broadcasters will best serve the public interest," the Jan. 20 filing noted. "The FCC can best support television stations, and the viewers they serve, with the transition to ATSC 3.0 by providing local stations with maximum flexibility to make their own decisions about ATSC 3.0 deployment” and by adopting “a flexible (and local) grassroots approach (rather than a top-down regulatory approach)”

As part of that the PTV filing supports the FCC proposals to eliminate the substantially similar and simulcast regulations.

But the filing also opposed a hard cutoff date. “PTV believes it is premature for the FCC to establish either a date certain or specific market conditions for sunsetting ATSC 1.0 service at this time; rather, any sunsetting of ATSC 1.0 service should be market-led for now (as with the rest of the transition), so that local stations continue to have maximum flexibility to serve their communities.”

The full filing can be found here.

[This article is part TV Tech’s ongoing coverage of the FCC and NextGen TV; articles about comments and filings from other companies and associations with different perspectives on these issues can be found here and here.]

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives this week passed its final fiscal year (FY) 2026 minibus package of funding, which includes money for public broadcasting’s Next Generation Warning System as well as its “Ready to Learn” grant program.

The package, which includes the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS-Education) bill and the Homeland Security bill, will allocate $48 million for the emergency alert system and $31 million for “Ready for Learn.”

In the summer of 2025, Congress severely cut funding for public broadcasting, resulting in the eventual shuttering of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In August, CPB announced that it was ending its grant program for the Next Generation Warning System, suggesting that the funding for the grant should continue under FEMA.

Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, issued a statement applauding this week’s vote.

“While America’s Public Television Stations are deeply disappointed that the final package does not restore any of the local station funding that was rescinded last year— a devastating missed opportunity for Congress to save local stations, particularly those serving rural areas—we are grateful that the bill provides some funding for the important public safety and education services that public media provides in communities throughout the country.

“We are pleased that the final minibus package recognizes the lifesaving work of local public broadcasting stations and provides $48 million for public broadcasting’s Next Generation Warning System for fiscal year 2026. This program within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA enhances local public broadcasting stations' ability to provide alert and warning and interoperable public safety communications to communities across the country, and to incorporate emerging technology in those lifesaving activities. Public broadcasting has long been a committed partner with the local, state and federal public safety community. That work depends on reliable and resilient public broadcasting infrastructure, which this program supports.

“We are also grateful for the $31 million for Ready To Learn, a competitive grant program at the Department of Education that supports the creation and distribution of educational media content and services to millions of children across America. For over three decades, this program has been proven to prepare all children for success in school and life by using the power of public television’s on-air, online, mobile and on-the-ground educational content and services to build the science, math and literacy skills of children ages two to eight.

“At the same time, we are incredibly disappointed that this bill misses a critical opportunity to restore essential funding for local stations. Since the rescission vote last year, Americans in every community across the country, especially rural communities, have experienced the loss of essential services that only local, independent public television stations provide.

"Two stations have already announced their closures and without federal funding, many more local stations have been forced to eliminate or reduce local programs and services, including local history programs, community event coverage, agricultural programming and local public affairs programming, among others. Still others are putting off much needed infrastructure investments – risking programming and public safety services. The impacts in local communities are impossible to ignore.

“We appreciate Representative Bacon’s (R-NE) and Representative Amodei’s (R-NV) amendment which attempted to restore some funding for local stations in this minibus package as well as the support of bipartisan Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate, who have been working to try to save local stations throughout the FY 2026 funding process.

“We are not giving up. We will not stop fighting for our local stations and the vital services they provide their communities. We remain hopeful that continued Congressional bipartisan support in the upcoming FY 2027 appropriations process will enable a restoration of local station funding to support stations’ essential missions of public safety, education and local community connections.”

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio—Bowling Green State University has decided that its WBGU-TV station will drop its PBS affiliation and stop airing PBS programming after June 30, 2026.

The university made the move as a result of federal funding cuts and the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, resulting in the loss of $1.1 million in annual funding for WBGU-TV.

WBGU will broadcast The Ohio Channel in place of PBS programming while sunsetting locally produced shows, including “The Journal” and “BGSU Brain Game,” due to both federal and state funding cuts, according to a Facebook post by "The Morning Show BG", which airs on WBGU FM.

“WBGU will remain a broadcasting unit within the University, focused on livestreaming services including Commencement, athletic and arts events and more,” the post noted.

A statement from Bowling Green State University spokesperson Colleen Rerucha explained that: "As a public university for the public good, Bowling Green has deep appreciation for the critical role public institutions, like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, have in enriching our society. For more than six decades, WBGU-PBS has been a fixture at Bowling Green State University, providing learning experiences and opportunities for students interested in broadcast communications and springboarding careers, while serving 19 counties across northwest Ohio with educational and community-focused programming.”

“Facing the loss of nearly half of its operating budget because of federal funding cuts, continuing to carry PBS programming and services has become financially unsustainable long term. Bowling Green has identified a pathway that allows WBGU to remain a broadcasting unit at the University with limited operations, focused on livestreaming services,” the statement continued. “In addition, we are actively identifying new learning opportunities for students, while serving the community in innovative ways, and we look forward to leveraging our broadcast capabilities for our students and northwest Ohio.”

The decision to drop PBS affiliation comes after a similar decision was made by Arkansas TV to drop PBS as a result of a similar funding shortfall.

In a Facebook post "The Morning Show BG" also noted that “WBGU serves 550,000 households across 19 counties; according to Nielsen data, 40,000 households watch WBGU-PBS. As of today, the majority of households in the WBGU-PBS viewing area will continue to have access to over-air broadcasting of PBS programming through other PBS-affiliated stations. WBGU received approximately $1.1 million (more than 40%) of its annual operating funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). WBGU used CPB funds to pay for PBS programming dues and purchase PBS programs to broadcast. WBGU has approximately 4,000 active donors, accounting for approximately 15% of WBGU’s annual budget.”

The post also reported that “after careful financial review, and ahead of the upcoming annual spring fundraising campaign, a national, PBS-affiliated fundraising effort, the University felt it was not right to continue to ask donors for funding support, knowing WBGU would no longer be able to carry PBS programming after June 30, 2026, due to the loss of $1.1 million in federal funding cuts that created an unsustainable long-term financial model.”

"Additionally, the University and WBGU will continue to identify new learning opportunities for students under this model along with the BGSU School of Media and Communication," the post concluded.

NEW YORK—Neal Shapiro, president of The WNET Group, will retire from his role at the end of the his contract in 2026, the public broadcaster said.The WNET Group is the parent of public TV stations WNET New York and WLIW Garden City, N.Y.

Shapiro's decision, made in consultation with the board of trustees, follows nearly two decades of leadership that strengthened WNET's position as one of the nation's most respected public media organizations, it said.

Shapiro will remain as CEO until a successor has been identified. Following a transition period, he will then assume a new role as president emeritus, continuing to support WNET's fundraising priorities and organizational objectives.

"Leading WNET has been the privilege of my professional career," said Shapiro, former NBC News president, executive producer of “Dateline NBC” and a producer at ABC News. "After careful consideration, I believe this is the right time to pass the torch to new leadership who will build on our momentum and guide WNET through its next chapter. I'm enormously proud of what our team has accomplished together, and I'm confident WNET's future is bright."

In announcing the retirement, WNET highlighted some of his major accomplishments that have helped transform and strengthen the organization. They are:

• Launched its transformation from a broadcast organization to a multiplatform media company, pioneering company-wide digital initiatives and production to meet audiences where they are. This includes modernizing technology by implementing advanced systems that streamlined fundraising, production, and distribution, resulting in significant cost savings and revenue increases.
• Expanded local and national programming—including the creation of ALL ARTS, the 24/7 local and national multiplatform arts portal; the creation of daily news, weekly arts and science series, and the “Treasures of New York” library. WNET also acquired, preserved and modernized New Jersey's statewide public television network, rebranded as NJ PBS, with award-winning daily news coverage, and WLIW-FM, the NPR station on Long Island.
• Developed key partnerships with for-profit and non-profit news organizations, including CNN (“Amanpour and Company”) and Newsday, while leveraging philanthropic support to maximize resources, improve operational efficiency, and enable the 2026 move to new headquarters. The move will reduce overhead by more than 60 percent and create a collaborative workspace for the office of tomorrow.
• Strengthened the entire PBS system by driving the growth in CentralCast, a joint master control facility now serving more than half the country's PBS stations and saving the system millions of dollars; launched Wavelength, a content-sharing platform that enables dozens of PBS stations nationwide to produce local arts programming.

“We are deeply grateful for Neal’s exceptional leadership,” said James A. Attwood Jr., chair of WNET’s board of trustees. “His vision, integrity, and unwavering commitment to our mission, have elevated public media and strengthened our service to millions of viewers. While we will miss his leadership, we celebrate his remarkable legacy and the profound impact he has had on our organization.”

WNET said the board has started a comprehensive search for Shapiro’s successor and will announce further details in the coming months.

“In this next chapter, WNET remains committed to operating in alignment with our mission, even amid a complex industry environment,” Attwood continued. “We look forward to finding a leader who will build on Neal's legacy with the same commitment to excellence and innovation.”

LAS VEGAS—Advanced HDR by Technicolor announced that seven public TV stations have deployed ATSC 3.0 and are enabled with Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

The stations include:

• Maryland Public Television (MPT), Baltimore
• WPTD, Dayton, Ohio
• WXXI, Rochester, NY
• PBS Reno, Reno, Nev.
• Nebraska Public Media, Omaha
• Nashville PBS
• KBTC, Tacoma, Wash.

Advanced HDR by Technicolor says deploying HDR is “a significant development for public TV stations, which were initially excluded from channel sharing agreements formed by commercial stations in major markets at the start of the ATSC 3.0 rollout.”

Overall, there are now more than 150 ATSC 3.0 channels/services broadcasting in Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

“The backward compatibility of Advanced HDR by Technicolor makes it possible for public broadcasters to improve picture quality without creating barriers to ensure equitable services,” said Ling Ling Sun, vice president of technology for Maryland Public Television. “The Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution is in complete alignment with the mission of public TV. From an operational standpoint, Advanced HDR by Technicolor does not require meaningfully more bandwidth or parallel transmissions. The technology enables Maryland Public Television to enhance over-the-air television, reengage our audience and reinforce the relevance of this free, universally accessible public media.”

Public TV stations are currently moving rapidly through a technological transformation. Nebraska Public Media launched the nation’s first Broadcast Enabled Streaming TV (BEST) channel, which is a Full HD (1080p) hybrid OTA & broadband transmission with Advanced HDR by Technicolor that consumers can find on connected TVs as a broadcast virtual channel or access on the internet. Nebraska Public Media also deployed a customized RUN3TV-based Broadcaster Application, on its BEST channel, which integrates linear programming, on-demand content and interactive services within a single IP native interface. Maryland Public Television is currently in the process of acquiring a license for the RUN3TV app.

“The Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution is a perfect match for public media. Through the single stream transmission of Advanced HDR by Technicolor, consumers with HDR-enabled TVs, HDR-enabled receivers or conversion boxes can enjoy public media content with the rich contrast and vibrant colors that high dynamic range capabilities deliver. Consumers with standard dynamic range (SDR) TVs receive high quality in SDR without disruption while accessing exactly the same transmission,” said Rick Dumont, head of business development for Advanced HDR by Technicolor.

The deployment of ATSC 3.0 with Advanced HDR by Technicolor is a critical infrastructure upgrade for public media, enabling public TV stations to deliver a hybrid OTA and over-the-top service, the company said.

“The Advanced HDR by Technicolor solution allows public broadcasters to continue meeting viewers where they are while sustaining free television in HDR over the long-term. It is clear that public TV stations are innovating quickly and shaping the future of TV,” Dumont concludes.

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.”

BOSTON—Frontline, PBS’s investigative documentary series produced at GBH in Boston, has announced the newest class of partners for its Local Journalism Initiative (LJI).

Since 2019, Frontline’s LJI has promoted sustainable, public interest journalism in communities where local news organizations have been hit hard by financial pressures. In 2025-26, the initiative will work with seven local newsrooms on three investigative projects.

In 2025-26, one of the projects involves three newsrooms—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Post and Courier of Charleston and AL.com. They will investigate environmental pollution in the South. This joint reporting will also be supported by The Associated Press Local Investigative Reporting Program.

Additionally, Blue Ridge Public Radio, VTDigger and The Texas Newsroom (the collaboration among NPR stations in the state) will work together to examine the aftermath of devastating local floods, focusing on the victims and survivors as well as the federal government’s shifting response to natural disasters.

The reporting on pollution and local floods will be funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as a part of a three-year, $1.5 million grant the foundation awarded to Frontline to support LJI. The Local Journalism Initiative began in 2019 with a $3 million grant from Knight Foundation and a $1 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. To date, Knight has given $4.5 million to support Frontline’s LJI.

The 2025-26 cohort will also include The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which will investigate plummeting childhood vaccination rates throughout Pennsylvania. The Post-Gazette’s reporting will be funded by the Heinz Endowments as part of a one-year, $275 thousand grant to support Frontline’s LJI.

“We’re thrilled to welcome our fifth cohort of Local Journalism Initiative partners to Frontline. We’ve been proud to support and expand the reach of our partners’ enterprise reporting, which has tackled critical issues that impact communities across the country,” said Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of Frontline. “We are grateful to the Knight Foundation and to the Heinz Endowments, whose generous support makes our work with local newsrooms possible. We look forward to sharing the powerful and impactful storytelling from our partners over the next year.”

“We’re proud to join forces with these outstanding local investigative teams on projects related to health, the environment and public safety,” said Erin Texeira, Frontline’s senior editor and LJI director. “Now more than ever, strong newsroom partnerships can produce the vital accountability journalism our communities need.”

Frontline’s Local Journalism Initiative provides editorial and financial support for newsrooms, which can include paying journalists’ salaries and sharing Frontline’s expertise on investigative techniques, video storytelling and connecting journalism with wider audiences.

Since 2019, Frontline’s Local Journalism Initiative partners have included The Post and Courier of Charleston, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Milwaukee PBS, New Mexico PBS (KNME-TV), Oklahoma Watch, Rhode Island’s The Public’s Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, Star Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Tampa Bay Times, The Texas Newsroom, The Texas Tribune and WFAE Charlotte NPR.

The initiative has helped produce major investigative projects, including “Breakdown”, a Peabody and Emmy Award-nominated multiplatform investigation into Maine’s deadliest shooting with Portland Press Herald and Maine Public Radio; “Fractured”, an 11-part WFAE radio series and Frontline documentary on North Carolina inmates living with mental illness; and stories about a polluting lead smelter in The Tampa Bay Times that won a George Polk Award and Pulitzer Prize.

“Frontline’s Local Journalism Initiative continues to support the creation of impactful and essential investigative reporting that deepens understanding of the issues shaping people’s everyday lives,” said Marisa Kwiatkowski, director for journalism at Knight Foundation. “It’s a powerful example of how local and national partnerships can strengthen journalism in service of the public good.”

“The Heinz Endowments is delighted to support this Frontline project and looks forward to seeing its impact on our region,” said Endowments Equity & Learning Vice President Carmen Anderson. “We are committed to helping ensure that the residents of western Pennsylvania receive accurate information that will enable them to make good decisions about their lives and their communities. More specifically, investigating the reasons behind declining childhood vaccination rates is a crucial step to safeguarding public health in Pennsylvania as it allows residents to understand the underlying causes and take action to address preventable diseases.”

A 13-year-old company that serves as a master control/disaster recovery hub for PBS stations says it has seen little financial impact from cuts to public broadcasting.

Executives from CentralCast Alliance, a company that got its initial investment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting back in 2012, recently discussed the current status of the not-for-profit organization with TV Tech.

Syracuse, N.Y.-based CentralCast is a self-sustaining organization that serves more than 100 streams of public broadcasting channels to U.S. viewers.

“CentralCast started with eight New York PBS stations as a file-sharing mechanism and then it expanded from there to a joint master control to create efficiencies,” said Shadi Sabra, CEO of CentralCast Alliance. “And CPB back then said, ‘OK, we're gonna help you guys,’ and they matched whatever the New York stations invested in capital.

“Fast-forward to 2025, it's a whole different beast right now,” he added.

Streamline Operations
In CentralCast’s first year of operations, total revenue was less than $1 million; today, that has increased to almost $5 million with the expectation it will surpass $6 million within the next two years, according to the company.

When Sabra and CentralCast Chief Technology Officer Steve White joined the company near the end of the last decade, they both had one goal in mind.

“The first thing that we did was to streamline operations—all of it, from workflows, day-to-day operations, to technology to solutions,” Sabra said.

“As a startup, we didn't really know what direction we should be going in, so we pretty much went in any direction that a customer asked us,” White added.

In 2019, the company made a “massive investment” with broadcast tech provider Evertz, which had been a tech partner with CentralCast since its 2012 launch. “We upgraded almost everything when it comes to play out and automation, all of it,” White said. “And with the way CentralCast is structured, every penny of revenue that comes in goes back to R&D.”

In 2022, CentralCast LLC merged with Digital Convergence Alliance, a competitor serving Florida public broadcasters, to form CentralCast Alliance, a single major nonprofit entity built and designed specifically for public media. Its goal was to house more than 150 streams serving more than 50% of the entire U.S. public broadcasting audience.

Sabra said CentralCast wants to move from its current centralized “one-to-many” concept to a more molecular design, as spelled out in a white paper the company released in 2024.

“We want to change the model from one to many to kind to a more of a molecular design, where it's kind of ‘many to many,’” Sabra said. “So instead of having one hub and spokes, we want to have a core that is many hubs and the spokes around it.”

Second Hub Planned
To help achieve this, CentralCast plans to open a second site in the Northeast and to use the cloud to operate more efficiently. The new hub will have the same capabilities as the one in Syracuse and be close by for staff sharing. It will be IP-ready for ATSC 3.0 and 4K content distribution and will be able to house all 354 stations that are part of the CentralCast hub.

“We also want to minimize our hardware footprint and take advantage of the cloud, but at the same time make sure that the cost of doing so doesn't really change our service costs,” Sabra added.

Those costs include current annual fees of $40,000 per managed channel and $15,000 for pass-through channels, which is basically the national feed, but with the ability to do their own branding and EAS.

The company recently launched its next-generation service, called “Cast,” which takes advantage of advances in IP-based distribution.

“It basically delivers all the streams from the hub to the spoke hub over the public internet,” Sabra said, adding that the company deployed it to all of its customers free of charge.

“So now we have multiple layers of defense—at the hub, we have all the redundancies that we need,” he said. “We have the fiber delivery, and then we have the cloud bridge delivery, and then if all of those fail, we have the local disaster recovery system that we deploy to the stations on site.”

“Cast is identical to our traditional solution, but, again, instead of no fiber, it's just an internet delivery,” Sabra added.

The new solution was deployed to their customers just prior to the 2025 NAB Show.

“We’ve essentially compressed an entire master control in nine rack units,” White said.

The company also restructured its fees. “Technically, a station can do all their master control and transmitter monitoring, all for $55,000 a year,” White said. “They don't have to worry about getting national content; they don't have to worry about integrating with the PBS interconnection system; they don't have to worry about all of those things.”

Planned for the Worst
Funding for public broadcasting has never been guaranteed and in the current political climate, the termination of funding for CPB earlier this year certainly raises questions about how PBS stations can operate more efficiently. Sabra believes CentralCast is in the best position to help.

“We didn't anticipate [the defunding] but we always planned for the worst, but hoped for the best,” Sabra said, adding that the development of Cast was a “direct response to the thought of federal funding going away.”

“And then for the current client list that we have, we started working with almost everyone about a year ago to figure out what is the best way to keep moving forward,” he said. “There are a few stations that changed their stream structure from managed to pass-through and some stations that sunsetted some of their subchannels.

“But all in all, knock on wood, we had a retention rate of 100% last year,” Sabra said, adding that he expects that to be the case for 2025 as well.

Sabra says the company is planning for westward expansion.

“We’ve located where the second site is going to be on the West Coast,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you that right now, but we are going to move automation into AWS with Evertz and the development for that has started. We're hoping that by late 2027, that will be online for us, which means that we won’t need automation at each site.”

PBS will use generative AI from Amazon Web Services to provide enhanced search results to viewers on the PBS App and PBS LearningMedia platforms, the network and AWS said.

PBS said it teamed up with science and strategy experts from the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to develop and launch a new generative-AI-powered search engine fueled by Amazon Bedrock, the AWS-managed Gen AI service, the network said. Working backwards from its problem with the AWS team, PBS envisioned the updated search engine, trained and tested models, then catalogued and tagged metadata for more than 700,000 assets in less than six months. As a result, viewers can now search the entire PBS library based on their interests across subgenres, topics, themes and even moods.

“If we did manual metadata-tagging for this project, it would have taken years,” said Mikey Centrella, director of product at PBS, Digital Innovation. “With Amazon Bedrock, we were able to do it quickly, at a fraction of the cost and within the secure AWS environment we already have. In just a few months, we built a proof-of-concept and tested and successfully scaled it into production. By greatly improving our search tools, we’re delivering a better experience for viewers and showing them different parts of our catalog that they might not have found otherwise.”

The deployment and the technology used for the improve search systems was laid out by AWS in a blog by Zach Dugan, senior industry product marketing manager for Media & Entertainment.

The deployment builds on a relationship between PBS and AWS that goes back more than a decade. PBS already uses AWS across nearly every aspect of its operations, which enables it to cost-efficiently scale and deploy new technology.

“One of the great things about building on AWS is that we can easily explore ways to modernize our operations, without impacting what’s already in production,” said Centrella. “Our assets are already in the cloud, so it’s a safe way to play, figure out what we might want to invest in and then apply it across the business. As a nonprofit, we must be smart about our choices and use our dollars efficiently. AWS helps us protect the value of what we’re creating for the American public.”

Dugan explained that Centrella’s team wanted to create a solution with generative AI that would add value and have an immediate impact for viewers. After connecting with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center in late 2024, the team began to explore how best to augment PBS’s existing search engine—built on AWS and cloud-native tools from PBS—using generative AI.

“The table stakes [for streaming services] have changed because of technology,” Centrella said. “Our users wanted a more robust search engine, so that’s what we created.”

After defining the project scope, Dugan reported that PBS began an eight-week engagement with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center.

The mission of the Generative AI Innovation Center is to help organizations like PBS to accelerate their adoption of Gen AI to unlock mission-changing outcomes. They accomplish this through bespoke generative AI proof-of-concepts, designed in collaboration with customers, according to AWS.

Using their expertise at AWS, Centrella’s team began building the new search engine framework and testing different models. The existing search engine implementation of PBS had basic logic functionality but the use of generative AI for extensive metadata tagging enabled the new search engine to offer much more specific results.

For example, each area of search classification now encompasses hundreds of options and dozens of metadata tags that can be applied to any given project. For example, a viewer can search “heartwarming” in the PBS App and receive a result such as “All Creatures Great and Small,” a charming series about a veterinarian in Northern England in the 1930s, AWS explained.

“Generative AI is great at pattern recognition and summarization, and metadata—set up correctly—provides a solid foundation for success,” Centrella explained. “We found that the show descriptions and transcripts gave us the most value for the price for analyzing content. We narrowed down four areas of classification internally, then used models on Amazon Bedrock to analyze the content and apply the most appropriate metadata.”

In addition, AWS and PBS established a sandbox environment to collaboratively evaluate model performance using Amazon Bedrock, ultimately determining the Anthropic Claude Sonnet to be the best fit.

"The PBS team then ran parallel workstreams on 50 shows, with PBS colleagues manually creating metadata tags based on show scripts to compare with the results created using generative AI," the blog noted. "Looking at the outcomes, they found that the model produced data sets as good as or better than the ones that were created manually, and doing so in minutes. Based on those promising results, PBS moved the model into operation, generating metadata tags for its entire content library of 700,000 assets and incorporating this new metadata into its search engine."

Looking forward Dugan noted in the blog that “the PBS Innovation Team is working again with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to evaluate other ways to incorporate generative AI into its infrastructure. The most likely next step is to extend enhanced search recommendations to the network’s kid’s catalog.”

“PBS understands that the audience and their behaviors are changing, across all the available streaming options, gaming platforms and mobile devices. We live in a multiplatform, multimedia world, and we want to meet people where they are,” shared Centrella. “It can be challenging to address all the new technology and distribution types that seem to emerge daily, and at the same time, linear still matters. AWS makes it easy for us to evolve and experiment, while maintaining our core values.”

More information about building scalable generative AI applications on AWS is available here or here.

WASHINGTON—Public TV stations are beginning to shut down operations and reduce services, particularly in rural areas after federal funding was cut earlier this year.

In August, as a result of Congress eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the CPB announced that it would shut down operations effective Oct. 1. The CPB had been approved to provide $535 million to public broadcasters for FY2025. This represented just under 11% of overall total funding for PBS, according to the CRS. However, that figure is higher in many rural communities.

Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, announced yesterday that the effects are now forcing public broadcasters, particularly in rural communities, to cut back operations and eliminate programming. Although she didn’t mention layoffs at individual stations, she did criticize how the shutdown of CPB has resulted in “a damaging loss of expertise and a large hole in the public media system.”

"All local stations will be negatively impacted by this and communities across the country, especially in rural areas, are now losing essential services that only local public television stations can provide from critical public safety services to proven education resources and essential local community connections and information,” Riley said. “In many rural areas where public media stations are often the only local media available, federal funding made up over 30% of the stations’ budgets. And while local stations are trying to close the gap created by the devastating rescission cuts, there is no replacement for federal funding, especially in rural and small communities.”

Riley added that the loss of federal funding has prompted local stations to eliminate or reduce local programs, including educational, local community event coverage, agricultural and local public affairs programming, among others.

“Without federal funding, local stations are eliminating or reducing local educational resources for their communities,” Riley said. “Many children in rural communities have limited access to pre-K and the loss of public television's free educational opportunities creates further challenges for those families that were already struggling to access resources for their children.”

Riley added that station infrastructure is also at risk.

“The loss of federal funding is already preventing stations from installing new transmitters and making desperately needed infrastructure investments in areas prone to severe weather which threatens the reliable delivery of lifesaving public safety messages,” she said.

Riley said operational losses are already beginning to have an impact and that it will only get worse as additional cuts are expected to roll out over the coming months and year.

She cited these recent examples:

• WPSU, licensed to Penn State University, has said that the university will wind down operations of the station by this summer at the latest.
• KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska, is powering down their transmitter from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. every day. This means that in the case of severe weather or another emergency, critical public safety information will not be relayed over the KUAC transmitters.
• KEET in Eureka, California, which serves the very rural redwood coast of California, are ceasing operations of their multicast channels including the 24/7 kids channel and their channel devoted to Native American and World Indigenous content.
• KIXE PBS in Redding, California, which serves a very rural community in Northern California, have lost over 40% of their budget from the rescission. If they are not able to secure major sources of new funding, they could go dark by the spring.

In addition, last week WNET Group announced that it was unable to reach an agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority to extend the management of NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public television network. Without an agreement, the network could be at risk of shutting down by next June when the current agreement expires.

Riley asked for CPB funding to be reinstated.

“We urge Congress to respect the will of the American people, who have spoken loud and clear, and restore funding for local public broadcasting stations in the final FY 2026 appropriations bill.”

In a notable example of how government funding cuts, are putting severe financial strains on public media, the WNET Group has announced that it has been unable to reach an agreement with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority to extend the management of NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public television network, beyond the expiration date of June 30, 2026.

Fourteen years ago, The WNET Group agreed to operate New Jersey’s public television network, then called New Jersey Network, after Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the legislature determined that the state should no longer be in the television business.

WNET Group cited significant funding cuts by the federal government and New Jersey state government as a prime reason for the impasse on the operating contract. In theory, NJ PBS could continue operating past June 30 if another operator is found or if the two parties shift their positions and can reach an agreement.

WNET Group said that it will continue to operate NJ PBS, its newsroom, and produce its nightly newscast, “NJ Spotlight News,” which will remain available on NJ PBS, New York PBS station WNET and digital platforms.

After the current contract ends, WNET Group said it will continue producing and airing the daily New Jersey newscast on WNET and its digital platforms.

WNET also said that it is “committed to supporting the state through this transition and looks forward to collaborating with New Jersey–based institutions interested in operating a public television network.”

“We have been proud to serve the state of New Jersey with content that inspires, educates and informs. And we are deeply grateful to the NJ PBS Board of Trustees, the state of New Jersey, the NJPBA and, most importantly, the members and viewers who have supported NJ PBS for so many years,” WNET said in a statement. “We remain a willing partner to collaborate, and we will continue to serve the New Jersey community on THIRTEEN and our digital platforms.”

The Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress has eliminated all federal funding, which will lead to the end of most operations at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting at the end of Sept. In addition, New Jersey has reduced funding from $1 million to $250,000.

Critics have warned that the cutback could lead to the closure of many public stations, particularly in rural areas.

PBS chief executive Paula Kerger has sent an email to staff outlining plans to cut about 100 positions or 15% of its staff, following the loss of Federal funding for the public media outlet, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news, and other outlets.

As previously reported, PBS announced plans to cut its budget by 21% in August after the Trump administration successfully convinced Congress to cut all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As a result of those cut, the CPB is laying off most of its staff and ceasing operations at the end of Sept.

The 21% budget cuts were approved by the PBS board in August, which also voted to reduce dues paid by local stations by $35 million.

Critics of the funding cuts have argued that they will force many public stations to shut down. PBS hopes that the reduction in dues will help those stations survive.

WASHINGTON—PBS has informed public stations that it plans to cut its budget by about 21% as part of an effort to deal with the elimination of Federal funding and previously announced plans to shut down the Corporation of Public Broadcasting at the end of the Sept.

The news was first reported by the New York Times in an article that described an email sent on August 13 by PBS chief executive, Paula Kerger to PBS station managers.

The cuts were approved by the PBS board, which also voted to reduce dues paid by local stations by $35 million.

The board reduced the fees because many local public stations face their own funding challenges.

“Local public media stations that are already cutting essential services and staff and, in some cases, planning for their closure as a result of the rescissions of public media funding,” said Kate Riley, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations when the funding cuts were announced.

The Public Media Company has said 78 public radio organizations and 37 TV organizations are at risk of going dark as a result of the cuts, the New York Times reported.

This map from U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) shows some of the stations most at risk of dramatic cuts or being shut down:

CPB funding is relatively small part of the federal budget, just $535 million in fiscal-year 2025. PBS and National Public Radio receive most of their funding from other sources. CPB’s demise is likely to have a major impact on smaller local stations, vendors of broadcast equipment and funding for emergency alert systems, which have traditionally been financed by the CPB. The layoffs will also cost the industry generations of experience in TV technologies, broadcasting and public media.

An attempt to restore funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) by the Senate Appropriations Committee failed on Thursday after the committee decided to leave it out of a fiscal 2026 spending bill.

Congress approved defunding CPB earlier this month after pressure from the Trump administration. The action drew sharp criticism from Democrats and even from some Republicans who fear the loss of local rural public TV stations.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) rebuked the committee’s action.

“One thing this bill does not do, unfortunately, is fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As everyone knows, Republicans rescinded bipartisan funding we provided for CPB in the first ever partisan rescissions package,” Murray said in her opening statement. “It is a shameful reality, and now communities across the country will suffer the consequences as over 1,500 stations lose critical funding.”

Kate Riley, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said the association was “deeply disappointed” that “essential funding” was not restored.

“With this vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee missed an opportunity to extend a desperately needed lifeline to local public media stations that are already cutting essential services and staff and, in some cases, planning for their closure as a result of the rescissions of public media funding earlier this month,” she said. “The impact of the elimination of this necessary public media funding for local stations, as we have warned all along, is real and imminent and it has already begun to dramatically impact the vital services that local stations provide to communities across our country.

“This bill was an opportunity to acknowledge the dire situation that local stations are in and reverse their devastating fate. Instead, today the Senate Appropriations Committee turned a blind eye to local public media stations and the communities that rely on them for critical services."

Riley thanked Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee Vice Chair Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for their bipartisan support to restore CPB funding.

“We look forward to working with them and all of their colleagues that also support their local stations to fight for the restoration of this funding in FY 2026,” she said.

As the House of Representatives voted early Friday morning to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, advocates warned that the elimination of $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would have its biggest impact on rural communities.

“This elimination of federal funding — over 70% would go to local stations — will decimate public media and force many local stations to go dark, cutting off essential service to communities that rely on them — many of which have no other access to free, locally controlled media — especially those communities in rural areas,” Americas Public TV Stations CEO Kate Riley said in a statement. “The proponents of this legislation were myopically focused on defunding NPR and PBS, but what this bill will actually do is devastate independent local stations — some of which are not even members of NPR and PBS and don't air their programming.”

PBS President Paula Kerger concurred. “These cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas. Many of our stations which provide access to free unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,” she said.

In a 216-213 vote that mostly followed party lines, the House approved "H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025," which was passed by the Senate early Thursday morning. Two Republicans, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Michael R. Turner (Ohio) voted against it. The bill also eliminates $8 billion in foreign aid.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed the vote. “We need to get back to fiscal sanity and this is an important step,” he said. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who opposed the measure said that “no one is buying the notion that Republicans are actually trying to improve wasteful spending.”

President Trump praised the vote to defund “atrocious NPR and public broadcasting, where billions of dollars a year were wasted,” adding that “Republicans have tried doing this for 40 years, and failed….but no more. This is big!!!”

One public broadcasting executive said elimination of CPB funding, which makes up approximately 15-18% of PBS’s annual operating budget, will force the network to make some hard decisions. Without CPB funding, PBS, which has 350 stations nationwide, estimates that roughly 15% of its stations will be unable to operate.

“We just don’t have a lot of fat to trim elsewhere,” Julie Overgaard, the executive director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, told the New York Times on Thursday.

“On the PBS side of things, I can’t just start cherry-picking which national programs I want and only pay for those,” she added. “So it really leaves me and many others with little choice but to look at the local programming that we self-generate.”

Taiwo Gaynor, chief content officer for Mississippi Public Broadcasting lamented the potential loss of free educational content for rural communities. “This is important for families, to have access to content that they don’t have to pay for,” Gaynor told the AP. “That is a sad thought, to think that we ... might not be able to provide that for a generation of children.”

In an email on Thursday, Kevin Martin, president and CEO of IdeaStream, a public radio station serving northeast Ohio told supporters that “we may have lost this round, but the fight is far from over.”

Even before the House approved the Senate’s bill, Martin was unsure of its impact.

“As for the long-term implications, only time will tell. We are deeply disappointed by this funding decision, but we remain resolute and optimistic about our future. The entire public media ecosystem — PBS, NPR, and local stations like Ideastream — are built through collaborations and a shared infrastructure. The ripple effect of this funding loss will be felt throughout the system, particularly by smaller and rural stations that may face the real possibility of closure.”

In advance of the House vote, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized the Senate’s approval, accusing the Trump administration of trying to stifle opposing viewpoints.

“This action is a key step in a coordinated campaign to silence public media, and the latest attempt by this Administration to censor and control speech,” she wrote. “We've yet to see any effort to probe, defund, or threaten news outlets that support the government's views, and there’s a reason for that. This has never been about saving money. It’s about silencing those who report the news accurately, without fear or favor.”

APTS's Riley said the association will continue to push for restoring the funds.

“Federal funding for public media is irreplaceable and essential to local public media stations and the existence of the public media system as a whole,” Riley said in a statement after the House vote. “This destructive rescission of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding – the substantial majority of which goes to local stations – will result in the end of all federal funding to local stations starting October 1, 2025 and the total closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“America’s Public Television Stations will do everything in our power to restore this critical funding, ensure the survival of local public media stations throughout the country and continue the federal investment in their essential missions of public safety, education and community connections.”

Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate voted to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR in a bill that also included cuts for foreign aid. In a 51-48 vote, the action to cut $9 billion in federal funding represents perhaps the biggest threat to public broadcasting in recent years and a moment of capitulation to President Trump from Congress, which normally has the final say in spending federal funds.

The bill will now go to the House, which is expected to approve it. Most of the funds—approximately $8 billion—targets foreign aid, while $1.1 billion was supposed to go to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS.

The Trump administration has been a long-time critic of public broadcasting, which he claims is "biased" against conservatives and ordered the elimination of funding earlier this year.

“Republicans must defund and totally disassociate themselves from NPR & PBS, the radical left ‘monsters’ that so badly hurt our country!” Trump posted on Truth Social on April 1.

The CPB funds about 2% of NPR’s budget and about 15% of PBS’s, so it’s unlikely that public broadcasting would cease; however, there is more concern over how the cuts will impact rural communities, who, in an age of declining local news outlets depend on public media more than ever. That was a major point of contention for Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who voted against the measure. Murkowski criticized the bill on X, referring to an earthquake that struck her state on Wednesday.

“Some colleagues claim they are targeting ‘radical leftist organizations’ with these cuts, but in Alaska, these are simply organizations dedicated to their communities,” Murkowski wrote. “Their response to today’s earthquake is a perfect example of the incredible public service these stations provide. They deliver local news, weather updates, and, yes, emergency alerts that save human lives.”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) was also initially opposed to the cuts, expressing concern that they would negatively impact the future of tribal radio stations. Although he was later assured that an agreement had been struck with the Trump administration that such cuts would not happen, the leader of Native Public Media warned that no such guarantee could be made.

“There is currently no clear path for redirecting these funds to tribal broadcasters without significant legislative and administrative changes,” said Loris Taylor, the president of Native Public Media.

Rounds’ colleague, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended the cuts.

“I think $9 billion is a very small amount of money—as I mentioned, one-tenth of 1% of all federal spending,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News on Wednesday night before the vote. “But we’ve got to look at all aspects of the federal budget and figure out where we can root out waste, fraud and abuse, to put this country on a more sustainable fiscal path. We just can’t sustain where we are.”

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a longtime advocate for public broadcasting, took issue with Thune’s description of calling funding for public media “waste, fraud and abuse.”

“Republicans are making a Clifford-sized mistake by choosing Donald Trump and multibillionaires over ‘Daniel Tiger’ and ‘Masterpiece Theater,’ ” the Senator said in a statement after the vote. “By eliminating public media funding, Republicans are silencing rural broadcasters. They are stripping communities of essential emergency alert infrastructure. They are taking away trusted educational programming from millions of children. And by gutting global public health programs, they’re abandoning vulnerable populations around the world.

“The consequences of this reckless package will be felt for years to come,” Markey added. “But I am committed to ensuring that characters like ‘Arthur’ and ‘Molly of Denali’ can continue to educate our children, and that public radio and television stations can continue to connect and protect people in every community across America.”

Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, the primary advocate for public broadcasting, said the association was “devastated” by the vote and noted that federal funding of public broadcasting amounts to about $1.60 per person per year and less than one 1/100th of a percent of the federal budget.

“This elimination of federal funding will decimate public media and put local stations at risk of going dark, cutting off service to communities that rely on them—many of which have no other access to locally controlled media,” Riley said. “After over 50 years of federal support for public broadcasting, the Senate has now voted to eliminate this exceptional public-private partnership that has educated generations of children, protected countless lives, and connected and celebrated communities large and small throughout this nation.

“As the rescissions package moves back to the House for its final consideration, we urge the House to oppose the package and the elimination of public media. If this package passes the House, all funding to local stations will be cut off starting October 1, 2025 and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will shut down."

WASHINGTON—As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on the Rescissions Act of 2025 that would cancel $1.1 billion in already approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the CPB has released a new national survey finds that U.S. voters place more trust in public media than media overall and hold a more favorable opinion of public media than for-profit media.

The OPB commissioned survey also finds that 53% of U.S. voters oppose eliminating all federal funding for public media, compared with 44% in support.

The CPB poll of 1,000 likely voters conducted online by Peak Insights from June 29 to July 1 found that respondents place a high value on public media’s core services and programming such as emergency alerts (82%), children’s educational programming (66%), local programming (66%) and national news reporting (60%).

The Senate is expected to vote on the cuts, which have already been approved by the House on a narrow party-line vote sometime this week. Several Republican senators have expressed doubts about the bill.

The survey reveals voters trust public media more widely than media in general to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” Only 35% of voters trust media in general, but 53% of voters trust public media networks and local stations, the survey found.

“Public media is a trusted, vital part of American life, available free of charge and commercial-free,” Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said. “It delivers early learning resources to families, life-saving emergency alerts to communities, and trusted local and national programming to keep citizens connected and informed.”

In addition, a majority of voters hold a favorable opinion of local public television and radio stations (65% favorable), PBS (61% favorable) and NPR (54% favorable)—while for-profit media is widely unpopular (61% unfavorable).

The CPB also noted that the survey showed strong support for public media benefits, including:

• 68% of respondents said public media serves as a lifeline for rural and underserved communities.
• 66% said public media provides quality educational programming for children.
• 62% said public media should remain available free of charge.

ARLINGTON, Va.—WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia community. In addition to offering free on-demand PBS programming and live channels, WETA+ showcases films and series acquired specifically for local audiences and highlights programming that celebrates the neighborhoods and culture of the region.

WETA+ was developed as part of the Local Public initiative, a collaboration with public media stations across the country. Local Public, spearheaded by Cascade PBS, is a new initiative aimed at developing affordable and locally focused streaming apps for PBS licensees.

“Throughout our history, WETA has been a pioneer in public broadcasting, with a strong commitment to educating and inspiring our community,” said Miguel Monteverde, senior vice president and general manager, WETA Greater Washington. “WETA+ is an ambitious new step in the contemporary age of broadcasting and television, expanding access to high-quality public media programs in a user-friendly streaming experience that is built with our local audience in mind.”

How to Get WETA+
On televisions, WETA+ is available on Roku devices and TVs, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Google TV, Samsung and LG TVs.

On mobile devices, WETA+ is available through the Apple/iOS store and the Google Play/Android store.

WETA+ users can access an extensive library of noteworthy WETA and PBS programming entirely on-demand. This includes popular selections such as “All Creatures Great and Small,” “Nature,” “NOVA” and “Antiques Roadshow”; history documentaries by Ken Burns and series from Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr; and premier news and public affairs offerings including “PBS NewsHour” and “Washington Week With The Atlantic.”

The service features access to films and series produced and acquired specifically for the D.C.-area market, including popular, locally produced favorites “Signature Dish,” “If You Lived Here,” “WETA Arts” and “Get Out of Town,” along with films such as the Emmy-winning documentary “Feast Your Ears: The Story of WHFS 102.3 FM,” short films curated by the renowned DC/DOX film festival, and special programming from NASA and The Atlantic.

WETA+ also offers more than 50 locally curated “collections,” through which viewers can browse hand-picked programs by genre, highlighting everything from drama and mystery to D.C. goings-on and must-watch documentaries. Collections are created by WETA programming staff and reflect the viewing preferences of D.C.-area viewers. Examples include “Classic Movies,” “Trending in the DMV,” and “12 Series That Will Make You Smarter.”

Free Live TV
Using the “Live” option in WETA+, residents of the D.C. metro area can watch — free, anytime, anywhere — live TV versions of WETA channels:

• WETA PBS, the flagship channel that features the best of PBS programs, along with Local Mondays, Thriller Thursdays, and American History Nights on Saturdays.
• WETA UK., devoted to 24/7 British programming including BBC News and Masterpiece, with weekly Foreign Favorites.
• WETA Metro, offering PBS programs with a focus on documentaries and current and local affairs for D.C.-area residents.
• WETA World, showcasing an extensive lineup of nonfiction programs celebrating an array of voices and cultures.
• WETA PBS Kids, offering 24/7 access to acclaimed educational television programs for young people, including “Sesame Street,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Molly of Denali” and new series “Carl the Collector.”

Two Levels of Access
WETA+ is free to download and install on most televisions, streaming, and mobile devices. In addition to the five channels available to live stream, for free, in the D.C. area, hundreds of free programs are available on-demand. WETA+ with PBS Passport expands viewers’ options. With a contribution of $5 per month or $60 per year, WETA+ donors/members have access to an expanded list of benefits:

• Early and binge access to popular series like “Masterpiece.”
• Live streaming of WETA channels anywhere in the United States.
• A huge library of additional programs.

WASHINGTON—Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, has issued a report highlighting the critical role U.S. public broadcasters play in responding to weather emergencies.

The report found that in rural areas, public broadcasters may be the sole source or one of only a few sources of information during disasters, leaving them disproportionately impacted by federal funding cuts. That risk is illustrated in maps that accompany the report.

“Public television and radio aren’t just for quality children’s television and unique radio content,” said Cantwell said. “For millions of Americans, these stations are often their only source of emergency information during weather disasters. Last month, House Republicans approved President [Donald] Trump’s rescission request clawing back $1.1 billion in Congressionally-approved funding for public broadcasting. This report shows that if Senate Republicans allow this devastating cut to pass the Senate, nearly 13 million Americans could be left without access to their public media stations and the life-saving emergency alerts or information they need. As people prepare for potential hurricanes, wildfires and other extreme weather events, we should not be gutting our support for public media.”

As previously reported, on June 3, Trump submitted a rescission request to Congress for the CPB’s funding for fiscal 2026 and 2027, seeking to claw back nearly $1.1 billion in congressionally approved funding. On June 12, the House approved the president’s rescission request, and it is now before the Senate. If passed by the Senate, these cuts may leave millions of Americans without access to lifesaving alerts and emergency information, Cantwell said.

The Snapshot Report issued by Cantwell's office describes its key findings as follows:

• The operations of 79 public radio and 33 TV stations across 34 states and territories are considered vulnerable to federal funding cuts.
• Nearly 13 million Americans live in communities under threat of losing their local public broadcast stations. What’s worse, these stations serve large swaths of the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States at risk of wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and other public safety emergencies. This double threat casts uncertainty on the ability of these stations to disseminate emergency alerts and information to residents when they need it most.
• More than 70% of federal funding goes directly to local public broadcasters for content, interconnection and support services. It would cost local public broadcasters more than double CPB’s current contribution to replace these critical services through alternative public or private means.

To access additional maps and the full report, click here.

After months of threats and speculation, the Trump administration has formally asked Congress to repeal $9.4 billion in previously approved funding, including $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funding to NPR and PBS.

That amounts to about two years of funding for CPB, which provides funding to PBS, NPR and public media, according to NPR.

The Trump administration has separately issued proposals for the fiscal year 2026 budget that would get rid of all CPB funding except for $30 million to shut down the agency.

The rescissions package was been proposed in April but was not sent formally to Congress until June 3. Now that the process has formally be initiated, Congress has 45 days to repeal the previously approved funding.

The proposal drew immediate fire from executives at CPB, America’s Public Television Stations and others.

“Federal funding for the public broadcasting system is irreplaceable,“ CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said. “Public media serves all—families and individuals, in rural and urban communities—free of charge and commercial-free. American taxpayers rely upon and trust public media for high-quality educational content, information and life-saving alerts.”

“CPB is firmly committed to ensuring that funding for public media provides local communities with accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news and information, and we take seriously concerns about bias that have been raised,” she added. “The path to better public media is achievable only if funding is maintained. Otherwise, a vital lifeline that operates reliable emergency communications, supports early learning, and keeps local communities connected and informed will be cut off with regrettable and lasting consequences.”

Kate Riley, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said: “Americans in every corner of this country rely on our local public television stations to provide lifesaving public safety and educational services and local community connections for free, every day,. “These services are only made possible by the federal funding for public media. We urge Congress to reject this destructive proposal to eliminate public media funding and public media itself.

“This proposed elimination of CPB funding—the substantial majority of which goes to local stations—will result in immediate and serious cuts of stations’ local services and in some cases the total closure of stations, particularly in rural communities,” she added. “Rescinding previously appropriated federal funding for public broadcasting defies the will of the American people and would devastate the public safety, educational and local service missions of public media stations. These services are essential for the American people and worthy of the federal investment, which amounts to about $1.60 per person per year and less than one 1/100th of a percent of the federal budget.”

Netflix and PBS have announced new deals with Sesame Workshop that will see new episodes of “Sesame Street” stream on Netflix and air on PBS Kids.

The deals came amid concerns over the future of “Sesame Street” following cutbacks to public media funding and the end of an output deal with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming service that had been airing new episodes along with PBS.

Unlike the Max deal, the new agreements call for new episodes to air on PBS stations the same day they start streaming on Netflix.

In announcing the deal, Netflix said the program “is coming to Netflix later this year, with ‘Sesame Street’s’ all-new, reimagined 56th season — plus 90 hours of previous episodes from previous seasons — available to audiences worldwide.”

The streamer also promised notable changes to the show. “The new season will feature fresh format changes and the return of fan-favorite segments like Elmo’s World and Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck,” Netflix said. “Expect new ways to play along as Cookie Monster opens his very own Cookie Cart on Sesame Street, and explore Abby’s Fairy Garden, a home to surprising and delightful magical creatures.”

PBS said the new deal for “Sesame Street” will include these features:

• New episodes will be released on PBS stations, the PBS Kids Channel, and across PBS Kids digital platforms.
• An expanded collection of 25 new and library episodes will be available to stream across PBS Kids digital platforms. New episodes will also be available on Netflix the same day.
• New games will be added to the growing library of 25-plus “Sesame Street” games available on pbskids.org and the PBS Kids Games app.
• Full episodes and clips will be available on the PBS Kids YouTube Channel.
• Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids will expand the existing library of parent and educator resources on PBS Kids for Parents and PBS LearningMedia.
• An evergreen toolkit of “Sesame Street’-related assets will be available to PBS stations to support their local sustainability and public service efforts.

“I strongly believe that our educational programming for children is one of the most important aspects of our service to the American people, and ‘Sesame Street’ has been an integral part of that critical work for more than half a century,” said Paula Kerger, president and CEO, PBS. “We’re proud to continue our partnership in the pursuit of having a profound impact on the lives of children for years to come.”

With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS, this partnership ensures PBS’s ability to continue making this programming and providing it for free and without commercials the same day as the episodes become available on Netflix the same day, the networks aid.

“This unique public-private partnership ensures children in communities across the U.S. continue to have free access on PBS Kids to the Sesame Street they love,” said Sherrie Westin, CEO, Sesame Workshop. “This combined support advances our mission and ensures we can help all children—everywhere—grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

WASHINGTON—Following a decision by U.S. Department of Education to terminate its 2020-2025 Ready To Learn to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB has informed recipients of the grant money, which include PBS and 44 public media stations, that they must immediately pause the program.

CPB strongly pushed back against the decision and said it would work with Congress and the administration to restore the funding.

Kate Riley, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, also issued a statement in opposition to the termination of the grant money, saying, "America’s Public Television Stations are deeply concerned by the U.S. Department of Education’s termination of public television’s 2020-2025 Ready To Learn grant. This abrupt termination of a congressionally funded grant will limit the creation of and access to the kids’ educational programs and resources that American children and families rely on.

In addition to the Department of Education decision, the Trump administration has ordered the CPB to stop funding PBS and NPR and the Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into PBS and NPR sponsorship efforts. The Trump administration is also attempting to fire three members of the CPB board.

The CPB noted that grants from Ready To Learn have helped fund such shows as “Molly of Denali,” “Work It Out Wombats!” and “Lyla in the Loop.” In the most recent fiscal year, Ready To Learn content reached more than 1.8 billion video streams, 27.6 million digital game plays, 10.2 million television viewers, and 2 million mobile app downloads, the CPB reported.

“Nearly every parent has raised their kids on public broadcasting’s children’s content. For the past 30 years, Ready To Learn-funded PBS Kids content has produced measurable, real-world impacts on children’s learning,” CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said. “Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress and every Administration for the last 30 years because of the programs’ proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children. We will work with Congress and the Administration to preserve funding for this essential program.”

Ready To Learn is authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The U.S. Department of Education, which the Trump administration is trying to eliminate, has held the Ready To Learn Programming grant competition every five years since 1995, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS have won grants in every cycle. The 2020-2025 cycle expires on September 30.

In a statement opposing the decision, APTS's Riley also noted that “Ready To Learn supports the creation and distribution of educational media content to millions of children across America. For nearly 30 years, over 100 studies have confirmed that this program has helped build science, math and literacy skills of children ages two to eight and close the achievement gap between children from low-income families and their more affluent peers."

More specifically, she said that "the investment in Ready To Learn has supported the production and academic rigor of PBS KIDS series, such as Molly of Denali, Wild Kratts, Work it Out Wombats!, Lyla in the Loop, Elinor Wonders Why, Peg + Cat, SuperWhy!, Martha Speaks, Odd Squad and other iconic programming for children.," she said.

"We are pursuing all options and working with Congress to restore this essential program to support the families and communities that rely on our local stations to provide proven educational resources every day to Americans in every corner of this country," she said.

President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to defund PBS and NPR, claiming that today’s media landscape has changed enough to warrant ending public funding for broadcasting. In addition, he used the executive order to criticize the broadcasters (established in 1967 when Congress created the CPB) over what he claims is “biased” reporting.

Congress has the final say on funding CPB but, as has been the case since his inauguration, Trump is attempting to sidestep Congress via executive order. The CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation established by federal law and governed by an independent board.

For decades, Republicans have attempted to defund CPB over what they perceive as political bias but, in recent years, they have added the “evolving media landscape” as further justification for their arguments, claiming that programming via public broadcasting is replicated elsewhere.

But critics of the administration say Trump has sought to quash media voices selectively and use the power of his office to strike at his critics as well as a free press. One month earlier Trump posted on the Truth Social site, in all caps, “Republicans must defund and totally disassociate themselves from NPR & PBS, the radical left ‘monsters’ that so badly hurt our country!”

According to news coverage by the BBC, more than 40 million Americans listen to NPR public radio each week, and 36 million watch a local television station from the PBS network each month, according to their estimates.

The order reads in part:

“Unlike in 1967, when the CPB was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options. Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.

“At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage. No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize. The CPB’s governing statute reflects principles of impartiality: the CPB may not “contribute to or otherwise support any political party.” 47 U.S.C. 396(f)(3); see also id. 396(e)(2).

“The CPB fails to abide by these principles to the extent it subsidizes NPR and PBS. Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.

“I therefore instruct the CPB Board of Directors (CPB Board) and all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS."

The CPB administers $535 million in taxpayer funds annually to PBS and NPR stations, who provide a range of free, accessible news, educational and entertainment programming, as well as emergency alerting. The service is particularly well-received in rural areas that lack access to broadband or multichannel video services.

At a Congressional hearing in March, Ed Ullman, president and CEO of Alaska Public Media, defended public broadcasting’s importance, especially in rural areas.

“In many parts of Alaska and communities throughout the country, public media is often the only locally operated, locally controlled broadcasting service. We are more than ‘nice to have.’ We are essential, especially in remote and rural places where commercial broadcasting cannot succeed.”

Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB, issued the following statement:

“CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.

“In creating CPB, Congress expressly forbade ‘any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over educational television or radio broadcasting, or over [CPB] or any of its grantees or contractors…’ 47 U.S.C. § 398(c).”

Katherine Maher, NPR President and CEO, also responded, saying "NPR stands by the excellence and commitment of our journalists, staff, and Member organizations to seek out stories that matter to the American public, that reflect every part of the diversity of our nation, and that bring affairs of the world to our audiences."

"We stand by our high standards and our colleagues in their pursuit of factual reporting, their work to present issues fairly and without bias, and our effort to seek the humanity and human consequence of every story," she added. "We will strongly defend our work and our editorial independence and will continue to tell the stories of our country and the world with accuracy, objectivity, and fairness.

Several weeks ago, the administration asked Congress for $1.1 billion in funding cuts to CPB. That request was made on April 15 and would have to be approved by Congress within 45 days (May 30) after it is formally proposed. This order appears to be an attempt to nullify that proposal and shut down federal funding to the broadcasters altogether without Congressional approval.

Earlier this week, the CPB filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from firing three of its board members, claiming the president has no power to do so.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr supports the moves to defund public broadcasting and has ordered an investigation into how sponsorships are handled.

“For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967,” the chairman said when issuing the order at the end of January.

MoveOn launched a petition calling on Congress to protect public broadcasting has surpassed 36,000 signatures by 3 p.m. ET on Friday, May 2. The petition is available here.

This is a developing story.

Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane contributed to this story.

WASHINGTON—The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from firing three of its board members, claiming the president has no power to do so.

The president does nominate CPB board members, who must be confirmed by the Senate.

On April 28, the Trump administration moved to fire three of five CPB board members, Tom Rothman, Diane Kaplan and Laura Ross. In response, on Tuesday, April 29, the CPB, its board of directors and the three board members filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the terminations. The judge has issued a temporary restraining order stopping the firings until both sides have presented their legal arguments.

The firings escalate an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and Republican members of Congress who have been attacking public media for political bias and attempting to cut all funding to the CPB and public media.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has joined in the effort by calling for the end of funding to CPB. The regulatory agency has opened an investigation into PBS and NPR sponsorship revenues.

In the court brief, the plaintiffs cite extensive legal arguments that the CPB was created as an independent private company to protect it from partisan political interference.

“As set forth in the Act, government guidance, and well-established legal precedent, the CPB was created by Congress to expressly be ‘a private corporation [to] be created to facilitate the development of public telecommunications and to afford maximum protection from extraneous interference and control,’ ” the brief contended. “To ensure that CPB was insulated from partisan governmental interference and control and ensure its autonomy, Congress expressly provided various protections, including that: CPB is not a federal agency subject to the president’s authority, but rather a private corporation.”

The brief also argues that the legislation creating the CBP stipulates it “will not be an agency or establishment of the United States Government. The Corporation shall be subject to the provisions of this section, and, to the extent consistent with this section, to the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act.”

In addition, the plaintiffs argue, “CPB’s Board members are not officers of the United States, and thus are not within the removal provisions of Article II of the Constitution” and that the CPB board members and staff are not employees of the U.S. government. It also stressed that CPB is not listed as an agency of the U.S. government.

“Even the United States Government Manual, which has been published for over 80 years by the National Archives and Records Administration, itself being an executive agency, and which provides information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, does not even mention the CPB anywhere among its listing of governmental and quasi-governmental agencies covering over 2,000 pages for the obvious reason that CPB is a private, non-profit corporation that is not subject to control by the Executive Branch,” the brief argued.

The full brief can be found here.

WASHINGTON—The FCC’s call for public comments and suggestions on outdated regulations that it should be eliminated has prompted a slew of fillings from broadcasters urging the agency to abolish its ownership caps and a host of other regulations.

The FCC’s deregulatory push and the creation of a docket for public comments called “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete”, had made Docket 25-133 one of the most popular items on the agency’s website, with over 910 filings as of April 17. Those comments include lengthy filings and letters from the National Association of Broadcasters, the Society of Broadcast Engineers, State Broadcasting Associations, America’s Public Television Stations, PBS, Nexstar, Sinclair, Gray Media, Mission Broadcasting and many individual TV stations.

Our wrap-up of the filings from broadcasters begins with the NAB.

“If there was ever a proceeding tailor-made for broadcasters, this is it,” the NAB wrote in its filing. “Due to history – broadcast stations were the first regulated entities placed under the FCC’s purview – and a general lack of will, to date, the Commission has consistently failed to modernize, let alone delete, delete, delete, the myriad antiquated and ineffective rules that apply only to the nation’s free, over-the-air broadcasters…This is a major policy failure that NAB has long urged the FCC to correct."

“But now, with Delete, Delete, Delete, the Commission has an historic opportunity to correct course, bring rationality to its regulatory regime, and make television and radio broadcasting stronger and more competitive,” the NAB argued. “To be successful in this critical endeavor, however, the FCC’s first step must be eliminating the national TV ownership rule and local TV rules.”

The NAB also urged the FCC to reduce rules that impede the transition to NextGen TV, to sunset ATSC 1.0 broadcasts, update EAS rules and reduce paperwork and rules relating to children’s programming, EEO and other areas.

NEXSTAR

In its filing Nexstar, the nation's largest broadcast station group, submitted a host of letters from stations that Nexstar owns or has relationships with urging the Commission to eliminate television ownership regulations.

In one of those letters, Jerry Brehm, vice president and general manager of WTEN-TV & WXXA-TV in the Albany New York market urged “the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) to eliminate the current rules that: (l) place a cap on the percentage of the country's television households that a broadcast company may reach; and (2) limit the number of stations a broadcast company may own in any single local market. As the media landscape continues to evolve, these outdated regulations are hindering the ability of local broadcasters to compete against `Big Tech’ in what has become an increasingly digital and highly competitive marketplace dominated by a few giant platforms that have no meaningful connection to our local community.”

In the letter, Brehm noted that October of 2023 marked the 70th anniversary of WTEN-TV and in August 2022 was the 40th anniversary of WXXA-TV. These stations “provide over 65 hours of local programming to our community, free over the air, every week,” he wrote, adding that the station is heavily involved in the local market in its work with local charities and not for profits.

“Now imagine if the type of commitment softened or worse, went away,” because these local stations were unable to compete in the media landscape, he noted. “Who would cover our community. And we are simply just one market among many threatened by these outdated rules. We have made a commitment to our market, to local news and information and that simply can't go away.”

GRAY MEDIA

In its filing, Gray Media also cited the elimination of ownership caps and regulations as their top priority. In addition, Gray argued that the FCC commission should repeal or reform unconstitutional and ineffective programming mandates relating to Children’s programing, Foreign Sponsorship ID and requirements that local stations file lists of important local issues.

In the area of the Emergency Alert System, it asked the FCC to simplify and reduce regulations relating to false alerts.

Gray also argued that the Commission should repeal unauthorized and outdated reporting requirements relating to Equal Employment Opportunity Rules (47 C.F.R. § 73.2080), Biennial Ownership Reporting (47 C.F.R. § 73.3615) and Public File Requirements (47 C.F.R. § 73.3526)

“Gray welcomes this long overdue initiative to repeal excessive and counter-productive rules,” the filing said. “The Commission’s systemic over-regulation of local broadcast stations has its roots in the 1930s, when broadcast media was the technological disruptor. While these regulations have always been a millstone around the industry’s neck, they didn’t stop broadcasting from becoming the pre-eminent provider of news and information in local markets across the county. The harm these regulations caused to broadcasters’ competitiveness and efficiency was long hidden by the power of mass media and the absence of competitors that could micro-target programming and advertising to erode mass audiences. But that changed decades ago with the emergence of first cable television, then satellite television, and, finally and decisively, the Internet.”

“What didn’t change was the Commission’s appetite for more and more regulation of broadcasting,” Gray argued. “Most of these regulations target broadcasters only, while broadcasters’ chief direct competitors remain free to exploit an unlevel playing field, further eroding broadcast audiences and threatening vital local programming. About a year ago, Chairman Carr recognized this situation as creating a “break glass” moment for broadcast regulation. Gray agrees and hopes that this proceeding will be at least a first step to establishing a sensible regulatory regime for broadcasting that recognizes broadcasters are, on the one hand, only one of many voices in the local media landscape, but are also, on the other hand, the most reliable and most trusted provider of local news and information programming in the United States. If the Commission is to preserve this vital force in the American media landscape, it is going to have to – as Commissioner Carr put it – break some glass.”

SINCLAIR

In a wide-ranging filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Sinclair applauded the agency’s push towards deregulation while arguing that it must address a ““toxic combination of a rapidly changing competitive environment” and the “ossified regulatory burdens” that are harming broadcasters and consumers. “While there are a number of deregulatory steps the Commission can take to level the playing field and allow broadcasters to compete, by far the most important actions the Commission can take are the elimination of the local and national ownership caps and an expeditious proceeding setting a sunset date for ATSC 1.0,” the April 14 filing argued.

It also argued that the Commission should eliminate the simulcast and “substantially similar” requirements as well as other rules to “greatly reduce regulatory burdens and facilitate a timely transition” to ATSC 3.0.

In the filing Sinclair also called on the FCC to eliminate children’s programming reporting requirements; reduce public file and political file obligations; relax EEO program requirements and reduce other regulatory burdens. The complete filing can be found here.

MISSION BROADCASTING

In its filing, Mission Broadcasting submitted letters from executives at some of its stations urging the FCC to eliminate broadcast ownership rules.

One of those letters came from Chris McDonnell, vice president and general manager of WPIX in New York City, which has faced some serious regulatory scrutiny from the FCC over whether its relationship with Nexstar in retransmission negotiations violates current ownership rules. Last year, the FCC fined Nexstar and Mission over the violations, which Nexstar has disputed.

“On behalf of WPIX-TV NYC, I write as part of the In re: Delete, Delete, Delete proceeding to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to eliminate the current rules that (1) place a cap on the percentage of the country’s television households that a broadcast company may reach; and (2) limit the number of stations a broadcast company may own in any single local market,” McDonnell wrote.

“As the media landscape continues to evolve, these outdated regulations are hindering the ability of local broadcasters to compete against “Big Tech” in what has become an increasingly digital and highly competitive marketplace dominated by a few giant platforms that have no meaningful connection to our local community,” he wrote. After recently celebrating our 75th anniversary, PIX11’s storied brand is known throughout the Tri-State area as “New York’s Very Own.” Our team is deeply involved in our local communities where we currently air almost 70 hours of locally-produced content every single week. We are steadfastly focused on providing critical information to keep our loyal viewers informed, and safe, in New York and New Jersey. We also regularly partner with vital community groups such as St. Jude’s Research Hospital, The Hispanic Women’s Council, East Harlem’s Union Settlement, and the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to name just a few.”

“Television viewers in communities across the United States depend on their local TV stations to provide them with important information that directly impacts their lives, including news, weather, sports, and often lifesaving emergency information. Local TV stations are often the first place people turn to for news and information and, increasingly, the only remaining source of local journalism,” he noted. “As local newspapers and radio stations go out of business or are forced to severely limit their operations or adopt a national format, the role local broadcasters play in disseminating accurate information is more important than ever. Still, local stations like this one are suffering because of archaic FCC rules and regulations that have no connection to current marketplace realities. In short, without regulatory relief, local television stations will be unable to continue making the kinds of investments necessary to produce the high-quality news and information programing upon which our viewers rely daily.”

“The reality of today’s media environment demands a reconsideration of legacy rules that no longer reflect the urgent situation hastened by the industry’s competitive dynamics,” he concluded. “We urge the FCC to take swift, decisive action in eliminating the restrictions on media ownership to ensure a level playing field that benefits both local broadcasters and the communities we serve.”

JOINT COMMENTS FROM STATE BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATIONS

A lengthy brief for associations representing broadcasters argued that a “more practical approach to broadcast enforcement is critically needed.”

It also backed the NAB's proposals for speeding the transition to ATSC 3.0 and modernizing ownership rules but said the Commission needed to go beyond those rules to address the "regulatory miasma" that "overwhelms individual broadcast licensees and any hopes they might have for growth, while slowly strangling an entire industry—a bureaucratic boa constrictor."

“The State Associations appreciate this opportunity to support the Commission’s efforts to relieve FCC regulatees of not just unnecessary regulatory burdens, but of those whose public benefits fall short of the costs they impose on broadcasters, thereby harming service to the public,” the brief stressed. “The media environment continues to evolve rapidly on a near-daily basis, and has already changed in tectonic ways unimaginable when most of these rules were adopted. In the face of these rapid changes, rather than wither away, many of the Commission’s broadcast rules have instead ossified, remaining stubbornly in place despite their utility having long ago ended. Because changes to these relics of a different time have become so overdue, dramatic deregulation rather than mere incremental adjustments are needed to meet the Communications Act’s overarching goal of preserving and promoting broadcast service to the public.”

“As they compete against an ever-growing array of unregulated audio and video services," the brief complained that broadcasters’ are required to "stand up complex and expensive compliance programs, especially where requirements are vague, liability is strict, and enforcement penalties are high, is becoming untenable. This dynamic is driving smaller operators from broadcasting while erecting a significant cost and knowledge barrier which blocks those interested in becoming a broadcaster, or pondering whether to invest in, or lend to, a broadcaster.”

To free up the industry, the Associations the brief said “the recent release of the Public Notice seeking comments on the National Association of Broadcasters’ request to cement a timeline for transitioning to ATSC 3.0 is a good start, and completing the pending Quadrennial Review aimed at harmonizing the Commission’s broadcast ownership rules with the media world in which broadcasters must exist is an equally important step. However, to stop there and go no farther would be to repeat the tragic error of the Newspaper-Broadcast Cross-Ownership Rule—a rule that was mooted by the demise of countless newspapers long before it was removed from the books. The Commission must act here before broadcasting finds itself also teetering on the brink.”

More specifically, the Associations called for the FCC to “eliminate the many unnecessary paperwork obligations related to (a) the Public Inspection File, (b) the recruiting, hiring and promotion of broadcast employees, (c) the reporting of station contracts, (d) the reporting of each children’s television program episode preemption, and (f) biennial ownership reports; and providing greater flexibility to broadcasters in meeting their growing Political File obligations.”

The full brief, along with the list of the 48 associations backing it, can be found here.

AMERICA'S PUBLIC TELEVISION STATIONS & PBS

A filing by America’s Public Television Stations and PBS said, “public television welcomes this opportunity to suggest deletion or modification of several unnecessarily burdensome rules applicable to noncommercial educational (“NCE”) television stations. These recommended updates would help public television stations focus scarce resources on the operations, infrastructure, and innovation necessary to serve their essential public service mission."

The filing focused on several areas that would “reduce the regulatory burden of various outdated non content rules.” Those included “73.1226 – Station Logs and Records” and several other related rules (73.1800 – General Requirements Related to the Station Log; 73.1820 – Station Log; 73.1835 – Special Temporary Records; and 73.1840 – Retention of Logs).

Those rules “mandate station logging and recordkeeping that are no longer necessary," the brief said. Similar rules also apply to TV translators (74.781) and FM translators (74.1265) and should be eliminated.

The filing also urged the FCC to get rid of 73.1870 relating to “Chief Operators.” “in light of the fact that the FCC has not required stations to have licensed “operators” for decades, and in light of changes in technology – namely, the automation of stations and advancements in the reliability of computer-controlled transmission systems – the formal position of `chief operator’ and the associated duties have become an unnecessary and outdated regulatory burden,” the brief said.

Ownership reports was another area ripe for deregulation the filing said. It noted that “73.3615 – Ownership Reports…requires broadcast stations to file ownership reports every two years on December 1 of odd-numbered years. However, other than in connection with a license transfer or transfer of station control, there is no reason why these reports should be required every two years. Inasmuch as the Commission’s multiple ownership rules do not apply to noncommercial broadcasters, tracking attributable holdings of the officers or board members of noncommercial licensees serves little regulatory value.”

The filing also requested that the FCC “modernize or delete the requirements of the outdated station identification rule” and it complained about problems with the FCC filing systems.

“The Commission should take whatever steps are necessary to increase the resiliency and reliability of its online filing systems and other public-facing technology,” the brief noted. “Public Television’s experience has demonstrated that station licensees (and Commission staff) often face a significant burden attempting to interact with the Commission’s systems due to unscheduled downtime or other issues. For example, stations regularly encounter difficulty attempting to upload materials to the Commission’s Online Public Information File system (which is an obligation that stations face at least quarterly). This regularly forces station staff to make multiple attempts to comply with their regulatory obligations, often at night or on weekends outside of work hours, at additional cost to stations and often to the exclusion of other important local work.”

The full filing can be found here.

THE SOCIETY OF BROADCAST ENGINEERS

In its filing, the SBE, a professional organization of television and radio engineers and those in related fields, with more than 4,500 members in 116 chapters worldwide, stressed that “through this proceeding, the Commission has the opportunity to provide meaningful relief to FM radio broadcasters by simply eliminating and modifying certain interference rules that have not kept pace with the state of modern radio receiver technology.”

The full filing can be found here.

SANTA FE, N.M.—New Mexico PBS (NMPBS) has turned to Heartland Video Systems (HVS) and its ATSC 3.0 team to optimize the public broadcaster’s existing ATSC 3.0 over-the-air (OTA) signal with Advanced Emergency Information (AEI)/Advanced Emergency Alert (AEA) capability.

HVS also supplied NMPBS with the necessary equipment for what is said to be the nation’s first ATSC 3.0 translator that works in conjunction with the broadcaster’s existing ATSC 3.0 facility.

Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) is a new ATSC 3.0 capability available to all broadcasters. The current Emergency Alert System (EAS) was deployed in the late ‘90s. In ATSC 1.0, the EAS signal is implemented via audio messaging. It is usually accompanied by a text crawl across the live video program. EAS is mandatory for ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 over-the-air broadcasts.

AEI supplements emergency warnings with additional real-time data customized to the region or type of emergency. It can also be used to provide non-emergency information, such as school closings, traffic updates and other community specific alerts. Consumers with NextGen TVs have the ability to opt in or out of AEI updates.

To take full advantage of AEI, a TV station needs to implement a Broadcaster App (BA) as part of its OTA signal. A 3.0 receiver uses the BA to render or display the AEI information properly on a consumer’s NextGen TV display.

HVS worked closely with NMPBS to implement its AEI solution by partnering with Digital Alert Systems and EiTV USA to configure, test and deploy an end-to-end AEI+BA solution on NMPBS’ KNMD-TV ATSC 3.0 station in Santa Fe, N.M., HVS said.

The EiTV USA team led the development of a BA delivered over the broadcast signal to ensure the reception of AEI messages on a wide range of TVs and set-top boxes. While AEI follows a standard, not all devices are fully compliant, making the BA essential for guaranteeing that AEI information is correctly received and displayed across different receivers, it said.

“Our main challenge was ensuring that the app consistently supported the display of AEI-MF messages and all associated multimedia content, including video clips, audio and graphic files, across all ATSC 3.0 receivers while maintaining a uniform look and feel,” said EiTV USA CEO Rodrigo Cascao Araujo.

Working with the broadcaster, EiTV, and Digital Alert Systems, HVS used its ATSC 3.0 lab to mockup the broadcaster’s on-air system and run many months of tests and report back findings to EiTV, said HVS senior engineer and ATSC 3.0 specialist Mike Schmidt.

“The data was mostly reports of how the different devices behaved with the app look, the remote buttons behavior, audio behavior, and the actual test message display. Getting all devices to eventually have a common look and feel was a challenge,” he said. “This was an iterative process, but eventually HVS and EiTV achieved the end goal of a fully functional app.

“Throughout the process, Ed Czarnecki [vice president of global and government affairs] at Digital Alert Systems provided expert advice about AEI that proved to be very helpful. HVS then worked with KNME and Digital Alert Systems to get connectivity between the DASDEC and the ATSC 3.0 broadcast equipment, program the DASDEC for AEI, set up various AEI data sources, and run on air tests. This is a big milestone for HVS and we were excited to be part of such groundbreaking work,” said Schmidt.

More than 80% of U.S. TV stations currently have Digital Alert System’s DASCEC. "ATSC 3.0 will transform public alerting and targeted messaging to audiences. Digital Alert Systems and our DASDEC messaging platform play a central role in the Advanced Emergency Information infrastructure," said Czarnecki.

NMPBS also operates over 35 translators primarily covering the northern half of the state. Its first translator site that will transition to ATSC 3.0 service will be K33QV-D in Tres Piedras, NM.

K33QV-D will augment K28GV-D currently on ATSC 1.0 and the new translator will receive an ATSC 3.0 off-air signal from KNMD-TV, including the new AEI+BA capability. For K33QV-D, HVS supplied a BE-TV25-GFU 25W ATSC 3.0 translator. K33QV-D is the very first ATSC 3.0 translator licensed by the FCC and the station is expected to be on-the-air by mid-2025. NMPBS intends to transition additional translator sites to ATSC 3.0 in 2025.

“New Mexico PBS is proud to help lead the industry toward better emergency alerting. We have partnered with Heartland Video Systems on our ASTC 3.0 project since our adoption in 2021 and eagerly came on board when they asked us to participate in AEA testing. Public television is the backbone of the emergency alerting system in the United States and we are excited to help the system evolve and advance.” said NMPBS director of engineering Jason Quinn.

More information is available on the HVS, Digital Alert Systems and EiTV USA websites.

Leaders of the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio appeared before the “DOGE subcommittee” on Wednesday in a congressional hearing in which the public broadcasters were severely criticized over programming and reporting that Republicans criticized as no longer trustworthy.

Although not yet annual, congressional hearings over public broadcast funding happen periodically on Capitol Hill and give both sides of the aisle a chance to air the latest culture war attacks on the opposition. The most famous hearing on public broadcasting occurred just after its launch, when in 1969, Fred Rogers appeared before Congress and explained how his show helps children grow emotionally and intellectually. His testimony was so eloquently delivered that one of his staunchest opponents on the subcommittee reversed his position immediately after Rogers spoke.

Alas, there was no Fred Rogers—or even Big Bird—on Capitol Hill yesterday so the heads of NPR and PBS, along with the head of Alaska Public Media—were left to defend the current state of public broadcasting on their own.

'Child Abuse'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) opened the hearing by attacking PBS for airing what she thinks is objectional content. After discussing a show about transgenderism that aired on PBS, Greene accused the network of “child abuse” and claimed that the public’s rejection of transgender issues played a major role in President Trump’s “landslide” election win in November.

“PBS is one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry, all while taking taxpayer money brainwashing,” she said. “Transient children is an issue so hated by parents across the country that it was a driving force in the landslide Republican and Trump victory in the 2024 election cycle and presidential race.”

She went on to say that “the news that these entities produced is either resented or increasingly tuned out and turned off by most of the hard working Americans who are forced to pay for it. They no longer view NPR and PBS as trusted news sources. As a matter of fact, to these people, they're a threat.”

To illustrate her point, Greene displayed several screenshots of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and several Democratic Congress members appearing to give hand gestures that could be interpreted as the Nazi “seig heil” salute, and compared them to news coverage when Elon Musk appeared to give the same salute at Trump’s inauguration.

“When Elon Musk put his hand over his heart and extended it and told the American people his heart goes out to them, PBS News posted the clip, calling it a fascist Nazi salute and described how it was similar to the Seig Heil used by Nazis at their victory rallies,” Greene said. “Not once did PBS or NPR report on the numerous accounts of Democrats making the same gesture. AOC, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, somebody that lost a presidential race. Hillary Clinton, Tim Walz… why wasn't this treated exactly the same way? Well, is there not a standard in journalism today? Apparently, not.”

“I hear, respect and understand your concerns regarding bias,” responded Katherine Maher, Chief Executive Officer and President, National Public Radio, adding that “it is critical for [the] NPR newsroom to operate with the highest journalistic standards. That means that they do their jobs independently and as CEO, I have no editorial role at NPR.

“In other words, I do not decide what we cover or how we cover it,” Maher continued. “I lead NPR strategy ensuring we have resources and policies in place to serve all Americans, not just those with a specific point of view. I was brought into NPR to revive and reorient the organization and bring public media to a wider audience, a new generation and new platforms. We have a responsibility to serve Americans across the full political spectrum in a trustworthy, non partisan fashion.”

Changing Media Landscape
In addition to cultural issues, funding for public broadcasting was also brought into question in light of the rapid changes in how TV and radio are consumed by Americans today. With numerous streaming options and podcasts available on demand, questioning the value of public broadcasting in this new landscape is a legitimate concern.

Again, the arguments from both sides fell on predictable angles, with Democrats supporting the value of public television in strengthening local educational and community resources—particularly in rural areas—and Republicans questioning why taxpayer funds should be used to report what they consider “biased” news coverage and educational programming that is replicated elsewhere.

“PBS stations are focused on the needs and interests of the viewers they serve, especially in rural areas,” said PBS Paula Kerger, Chief Executive Officer and President for PBS. “PBS stations are the only outlet providing coverage of local events, for example, high school sports, local history and culture content, candidate debates at every level of the election, ballot and specialized agricultural news. Local stations also partner with other community organizations to address issues of concern, like Veterans Affairs and the opioid crisis. Finally, communities depend on the essential public safety information and emergency alerts our local stations provide. Our programming comes from our local stations.”

Maher noted that “the rise of podcasting has established a competitive free market for audio, news and information, and every day, I am honored to know that we have 43 million listeners from every state in the nation.

“Amidst this competition, local stations choose to become members of NPR for the value we provide,” Maher added. “For example, we are the only non pay walled news outlet with a dedicated reporter covering veterans issues. While NPR is only 25% of station programming on average, audiences for NPR bring the scale and revenue that subsidize essential local programming. Local public media journalism has never been more important to American families who consider it part of the fabric of their communities. It correlates with higher rates of civic engagement, greater civic cohesion and economic advantages, such as better municipal bond ratings. Recent independent polling found that more than 60% of all Americans and more than half of Republicans trust public broadcasting to deliver fact based news.”

Telling Conservatives to 'Get Lost'
Mike Gonzalez from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, excoriated public broadcasting for wasting money and being irrelevant in today’s fiscal environment. He prefaced his criticism by saying that his views were his own and didn’t represent those of his employer.

“For decades, they've asked for more money while telling conservatives to get lost,” Gonzales said. “But the nation today is in a very different place, with $36 trillion in debt. And more importantly, we're seeing not just a shift in our cultural vibe, but a shift in societal paradigms through their greatest bias; NPR and PBS have violated the public trust.”

Ed Ullman, president and CEO of Alaska Public Media defended public broadcasting’s importance, especially in rural areas.

“The people of Alaska rely on public media to provide free, universal access to essential services and public safety, education and community connections,” he told the committee. “This includes potentially life saving alerts, updates on community affairs, coverage of state and local government, proven educational content, engagement services and local and national news. In many parts of Alaska and communities throughout the country, public media is often the only locally operated, locally controlled broadcasting service. We are more than nice to have. We are essential, especially in remote and rural places where commercial broadcasting cannot succeed.”

NPR 'Not News'
Rep. Jim Comer (R-Ky.) spoke about how he used to listen to NPR decades ago when working on a farm in Kentucky, adding that now “I don't even recognize the station anymore.”

“It's not news, I feel like it's propaganda,” Comer said. “I feel like there's disinformation every time I listen to NPR. And, you know, a media entity like MSNBC or Huffington Post that, in my opinion, consistently spews disinformation; they can do that, they're a private company. But NPR gets federal funds and I have a problem with that, because if people in Alaska, if all they have is Public Radio, then all they know is what these headlines say, and they're wrong.”

In fiscal year 2025, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was appropriated $535 million from Congress to fund both PBS and NPR. Maher defended the value of public broadcasting and outlined where the money goes.

“The vast majority of federal dollars—more than $100 million of the $121 million annual appropriation for public radio goes directly to 386 local, non commercial stations across the nation,” Maher said. “This highly efficient investment enables your local stations to raise an average of $7 for every federal dollar.

“As a grantee of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR received federal funding of $11.2 million last year,” Maher added. “These funds allow us to maintain the National Public Radio satellite system helping safeguard our national security, civil defense and disaster response and enabling public radio to reach every corner of America. Additionally, these funds help protect journalists covering our troops overseas and reverse the decline of local journalism.”

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr recently announced that the commission was opening an investigation into PBS and NPR running commercials, something that is prohibited by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. When asked about this allegation, both public broadcast officials replied that their organizations are following the law.

“We are in full compliance with the FCC inquiry and will continue to cooperate,” said Ms Kerger.

“We are underwriting announcements, and we believe we are in full compliance with the FCC, and we look forward to delivering the material required in this part of this investigation,” replied Ms. Maher.

Is Elmo a 'Commie?'
In an attempt to inject some humor into the two-plus hour hearing, several members of the subcommittee peppered Ms. Kerger and Ms. Maher with rhetorical questions designed to illustrate what they considered the absurd allegations made by their opponents. One came from a Republican on the committee.

“Ms. Kerger, the American people want to know, is Elmo now, or has he ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States? A yes or no. Now, are you sure, because he's obviously red,” asked Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.). “He also has a very dangerous message about sharing and helping each other. He's indoctrinating our kids that sharing is caring. Now maybe he's part of a major socialist plot, and maybe that's why the chairwoman is having this hearing today."

When asked about whether Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s campaign against fast food and baked goods is silencing Cookie Monster, Kerger replied that "cookies are a sometime food."

“I agree with you, and let's also talk about the most important character on Sesame Street, Big Bird," Garcia added. "Now, since Elon Musk actually fired USDA workers who have been working on the bird flu, does it make sense to also fire Big Bird? Yes or no?”

Mr. Kerger replied that “We would like to keep Big Bird.”

Rep. Gregorio Eduardo Casar, (D-Texas) complained that the subcommittee was wasting its time and instead should be investigating the man who created “DOGE.”

“The total funding for public broadcasting is just 1/6 the amount that Elon Musk's companies make off of the government every single year. But you will not see Elon Musk being grilled by this committee,” he said. “If we want to look into waste, fraud and abuse, why not look into that?

"Elon Musk, who's running cabinet meetings, who's running the White House, was trying to funnel money to himself," Casar added. "So let's stop investigating Cookie Monster and start investigating how the Trump administration lied about this and was trying to funnel money to their biggest political supporter. Maybe you're trying to defund NPR because they expose this kind of corruption.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement criticizing the committee's allegations. “Casting them as propaganda machines undeserving of taxpayer support is a dangerous mischaracterization that threatens to rob Americans of the vital reporting they need to make decisions about their lives,” said Jodie Ginsberg, the committee’s CEO.

The head of a public TV advocacy group this week warned that threats to cut funding to public broadcasters could impact public safety.

In an address to the annual meeting of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS), the organization's president/CEO Kate Riley recalled the critical role public broadcasters have provided over the past year, citing numerous natural disasters.

“We have seen time and time again how local stations are a lifeline of local information and resources during emergencies,” Riley said. “That was evident during the hurricanes in Florida and the Southeast in the fall and the wildfires in Southern California earlier this year and the floods in Kentucky just last week, among many other examples your role as a local broadcaster some of the last in this country, and the critical role that all public television stations play in enabling PBS WARN [Warning Alert & Response Network] to deliver emergency alerts to our cell phones, makes you an essential public safety service provider.”

“Simply put, cuts to public broadcasting funding significantly jeopardize public safety,” Riley added.

This year’s APTS meeting is Riley’s first as president, succeeding long-time president Patrick Butler last year. And since public TV is no stranger to periodic funding threats, Riley was soberingly realistic when assessing the new political environment on Capitol Hill under the Trump administration.

“We face a new political landscape with significant uncertainty and growing threats, some predictable and many unpredictable,” she said. “Throughout our over 50 year history, the public television system has faced numerous challenges, and we have always overcome them.”

The most immediate concerns revolve around funding. In December, then President-elect Trump called for Congress to eliminate all funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has initiated an investigation into NPR and PBS to determine whether their underwriting announcements violate federal prohibitions against commercial advertising on public broadcasting stations.

Riley emphasized the value of public broadcasting, telling broadcasters that communicating with their Congressional representatives about how educational programs and initiatives impact local communities and help “build the echo chamber of positive information about the valuable services your stations provide and why federal funding is essential to that work.”

“We must say that federal funding is essential to the local services that each one of your station provides,” she added.

Threats to public broadcast funding are not new and nearly every Republican administration and/or Congress has called for curtailing or outright ending public broadcasting with opponents accusing the network of liberal bias. But the fervor threatens to reach a fever pitch this time given the intensity of the current administration towards removing such “biases” from media, in particular one that receives a portion of funding from Congress, which, through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, provided $525 million in FY 2023.

Riley said public broadcasters have an obligation to help bridge the political divide, which has become more polarizing in recent years.

“We have a responsibility and a long history of reflecting and serving the broad range of thought and experience in each of our communities,” she said. “People share many of the same goals, to be safe and healthy, to have opportunities for their family, but each person's own experiences, perspectives and priorities influence how they determine the best ways to achieve these goals for themselves and their families.

“Even though they share many of those goals, there is a real need for greater understanding of and appreciation for how and why people with similar goals draw different conclusions and take different actions,” Riley added. "Public television is uniquely positioned to reflect and share the broad range of views and experiences in each of our communities in a way that helps foster greater understanding of our neighbors and fellow Americans.”

After she explained the complexities of the looming Congressional budgeting timeline and process, Riley added that “we are tracking this process closely and working to ensure that it does not negatively impact public media.”

Riley concluded her address by citing recent surveys illustrating the support behind public broadcasting. “Seventy-six percent of Americans think that public television is a good investment; 88% of parents think PBS Kids is a safe and trusted place for their kids; 65% of people who voted for President Trump think PBS is either adequately funded or underfunded. And for the 22nd year in a row, public television is America's most trusted institution,” she said.

WASHINGTON—Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr has sent a letter to the heads of PBS and NPR telling them the agency’s Enforcement Bureau is opening an investigation into the airing of sponsorships on public stations.

In an unprecedented move for an FCC chair, Carr also said he supported the elimination of Federal funding for public broadcasters, writing: “For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.”

Congress actually funds the Corporation of Public Broadcasters, not PBS or NPR.

The letter was immediately attacked by the two Democratic commissioners. Commissioner Anna M. Gomez wrote: “This appears to be yet another Administration effort to weaponize the power of the FCC. The FCC has no business intimidating and silencing broadcast media.”

Commissioner Geoffrey Starks argued: “Public television and radio stations play a significant role in our media ecosystem. Any attempt to intimidate these local media outlets is a threat to the free flow of information and the marketplace of ideas. The announcement of this investigation gives me serious concern.”

Both PBS and NPR issued statements saying they are in compliance with existing underwriting regulations.

In a letter to the heads of PBS and NPR, Carr said he was “writing to inform you that I have asked the FCC's Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation regarding the airing of NPR and PBS programming across your broadcast member stations … As you know, NPR and PBS distribute their programming through a network of approximately 1,500 NPR and PBS member broadcast stations. The relevant broadcast stations, which are licensed to operate by the FCC, are limited by the terms of their federal authorizations to operating as noncommercial educational broadcast stations- or NCES. Federal law prohibits any NCE station from running commercial advertisements.”

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing Commercials,” Carr wrote. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements. It is important to me, as chairman of the FCC, that NCE broadcast stations stay true to their important missions and refrain from operating as noncommercial in name only.”

In the letter, Carr also threatened that the sponsorships could lead to a cutoff of federal funding for the stations and said he supported cutting off funding for public broadcasting.

“I will be providing a copy of this letter to relevant Members of Congress because I believe this FCC investigation may prove relevant to an ongoing legislative debate,” he wrote. “In particular, Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming. For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage ofthe Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. To the extent that these taxpayer dollars are being used to support a for profit endeavor or an entity that is airing commercial advertisements, then that would further undermine any case for continuing to fund NPR and PBS with taxpayer dollars.”

In a statement NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher insisted that "NPR programming and underwriting messaging complies with federal regulations, including the FCC guidelines on underwriting messages for noncommercial educational broadcasters, and Member stations are expected to be in compliance as well. We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR's adherence to these rules. We have worked for decades with the FCC in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming, and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States."

RENO, Nev.—PBS Reno and Sinclair Broadcast Group have launched KNPB-VC, a new virtual ATSC 3.0 channel, broadcasting on virtual channel 5-11.

Viewers find the channel in their Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of their NextGen TVs. Bits transmitted over the air via 3.0 insert the EPG programming data, while the actual programming is streamed to their NextGen TV via the internet when selected.

The virtual channel brings PBS Reno’s programming into the NextGen TV era. It enables PBS Reno to offer viewers a state-of-the-art experience, including enhanced picture quality with Advanced HDR by Technicolor, the public broadcaster said.

The programming on KNPB-VC mirrors that of PBS Reno’s main channel 5-1, while providing enhanced accessibility for those with NextGen-enabled televisions.

Sinclair and America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) previously announced that Sinclair would provide carriage of APTS member stations for free in markets where Sinclair has deployed 3.0 and a public television station has not. This launch is the third in the nation under the arrangement.

“We are pleased to partner with our broadcast colleagues at Sinclair to make this innovative technology available in our region. Now, viewers throughout our 75,000 square mile coverage area will be able to utilize this new technology to enhance their viewing experience. This is yet another way PBS Reno is expanding our service to our region,” said Kurt Mische, president and CEO of PBS Reno.

More information is available on the PBS Reno website.

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Twin Cities PBS (TPT) said it will premiere “Broadcast Wars,” an original documentary about local broadcast news in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The program will be available on Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. as a two-hour film on TPT 2 and as a three-part streaming limited series available on the PBS App.

Part of TPT’s “Minnesota Experience” history programming, “Broadcast Wars” delves into the golden era of Minnesota broadcast news, when high-priced anchors, groundbreaking technology and larger-than-life personalities ruled the airwaves.

With millions of dollars in ad revenue at stake, stations like KSTP, WCCO, KMSP and KARE competed for supremacy in their quest to break the news and capture viewers along the way, TPT said. Anchors became local celebrities, and behind the scenes, newsrooms were transformed by innovation, diversity and competition.

The documentary features archival footage, interviews with veteran broadcasters and insights into how this media era shaped the local news industry in profound ways. From the rise of women broadcasters and reporters of color to the intense competition that redefined television journalism, “Broadcast Wars” is intended to offer a revealing look into the changing landscape of broadcast news from the 1960s to the 1980s, TPT said.

“The Twin Cities were at the center of a media revolution, and the battles for ratings weren't just about who had the best newscast—they were about how we told the stories of our community,” co-executive producer Cathy Wurzer said. “The innovations of that time set the stage for the way we consume news today, and I'm excited for audiences to see the impact these legendary figures had on both television and our civic life.”

The program features interviews with key players of the time, including anchors and reporters such as Marcia Fluer, Don Shelby, Lou Harvin, and Ron and Paul Magers, among others. Wurzer's conversations with her peers and predecessors reveal the highs and lows, including the mental health toll caused by the stress-filled ratings battles, TPT said.

In addition, the film highlights the industry’s critical shift toward inclusivity, featuring voices that had been historically underrepresented in newsrooms. As Wurzer noted: “It’s impossible to understand the Twin Cities broadcast story without acknowledging the barriers broken by women and reporters of color. Their stories are at the heart of this documentary.”

CULVER CITY, Calif.—In a notable expansion of the way viewers can watch local PBS stations, the network and Amazon said more than 150 public TV stations and the PBS Kids channel will launch ad-free over the coming months as a Prime Video FAST offering.

This marks the first time this programming will be available for free on a major streaming service to customers across the country.

Additionally, PBS Distribution (PBSd), a leading distributor of public media content around the world, will offer two new FAST channels, PBS Drama and PBS Documentaries. These channels will be available exclusively for a limited time on Prime Video starting Nov. 26. PBSd will also offer a “pop-up” FAST channel featuring a rotating selection of classic PBS shows, starting with “Reading Rainbow."

This launch marks a significant milestone for PBS in delivering a curated lineup of programming from member stations to a broader FAST audience, particularly at a time when two in three U.S. viewers use ad-supported streaming platforms. FAST Channels on Amazon are accessible through Prime Video and Fire TV. Non-Prime users will have free access to PBS programming under the “Watch for Free” section within Prime Video, PBS and Amazon said.

”We’re delighted to bring PBS’s trusted, high-quality programming to our FAST channels,” Prime Video Marketplace Head Ryan Pirozzi said. “We have put together one of the most exciting FAST offerings today for Prime Video customers, driven by a highly personalized experience, and a leading selection of channels featuring fan-favorite series, movies, news, sports and more. We know our customers will be excited to discover that their beloved PBS member stations and two new PBS FAST Channels are now part of our growing offering.”

PBS, PBS Kids and local station content is also available on PBS.org and pbskids.org, as well as the PBS app and the PBS KIDS Video app available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and smart TVs from Samsung, Xumo and Vizio. Members of local PBS stations may also view an extended library of programming via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website or contact your local station.

ARLINGTON, Va.—PBS has received a significant grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to provide PBS Member Stations with Nielsen Local Dashboards, providing in-depth audience data. The dashboards will display local market linear television audience data to give stations an enhanced understanding of the viewers they reach throughout the day.

Member stations will have access to an interactive dashboard that includes critical audience metrics across all DMAs with PBS Member Stations. With more PBS stations launching ATSC 3.0 (aka “NextGen TV”) that will allow for “hyper-local” services, the dashboards are expected to help stations use the data to better understand their diverse & comprehensive audiences within their local communities.

“Quality data helps us reach viewers where they are to build new connections to the content they know and love,” said Amy Sample, PBS Vice President of Business Intelligence. “Our ongoing collaboration with Nielsen, thanks in part to CPB, now gives member stations a powerful new tool to understand their audience and local community impact. It will help build engagement with longtime fans while creating new ones.”

“Public television stations’ strength is their connection to their communities, and these dashboards will provide valuable, detailed data to help the stations understand their audiences even better,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “CPB is pleased to fund this investment in local public media stations.”

“As long-standing partners with PBS Member Stations in nearly every local market, we are excited to expand our relationship with PBS Corporate to deliver critical audience insights via a new intuitive and innovative dashboard” said Paul LeFort, Managing Director, Nielsen Local TV. “Nielsen’s unique capability to report PBS audiences across all platforms, including Cable Satellite, Over-the-Air, Digital & virtual MVPDs enables PBS Member Stations to demonstrate their engaged audiences to sponsors, underwriters, and community organizations more effectively than ever before. We are grateful to have the support of critical local media partners like PBS.”

Nielsen Local Dashboards will be available to PBS Member Stations starting in late May, and similar data will be made available to CPB. PBS will have an exhibit at the PBS Annual Meeting, May 13-15 in Las Vegas and hold multiple webinars this summer.

WASHINGTON—As U.S. broadcasters continue their transition to ATSC 3.0, public broadcasters are playing a critical role, from testing new emergency alerting technologies to providing the myriad of services available, from datacasting to on-demand programming. 

Leaders of several state public broadcasting organizations took the stage this week at the annual APTS Public Media Summit in Washington to discuss the transition and share ideas on how best to harness future technologies. 

Early 1.0 Shutoff
One of those ideas is the concept of “flash-cutting,” which would mean shutting down ATSC 1.0 before a deadline for is determined by the FCC but not before also providing 3.0 auxiliary devices to consumers. Franz Joachim, GM and CEO of New Mexico PBS pointed to the unique circumstances surrounding a particular market in his state. 

“We're looking at flash cutting one rural community in the southern part of our state,” he said. “It's a 5G community, interestingly enough, and it's a small town that has a greater than average membership base—I think we figured out that about 10% of the community members are members of our station.”

Joachim said such a high percentage gave them “a lot of context with what we're looking at” and that the community’s rural status left them without an option to share facilities via “lighthouse” arrangements where broadcasters transmitting 3.0 in the same market share transmission facilities. “We’re flash cutting that community over to ATSC 3.0 because there isn't an opportunity to ‘lighthouse’ ourselves or duplicate [transmissions].

Spectrum efficiency is top of mind among all broadcasters, not just public. However, public broadcasters may have better opportunities to soon take advantage of the new services enabled by 3.0, Joachim added.  

“On our ATSC 1.0 signal, we're carrying two HD and three SD channels and we have just a tiny little bit of room left over to do some datacasting, and with ATSC 3.0, we're using about 55% of that 6 MHz channel to do exactly the same thing,” he said. “So I've got 45% of my space left over to try things to play with things. So we're rolling out ATSC 3.0 and opening it up and looking for partners.”

Joachim added that NM PBS is also looking into acquiring more low power transmitters to help rural areas of the state transition to 3.0 and even help bring new services enabled by 3.0’s integration of broadcast and broadband to underserved markets.

“We’re looking at starting to transition to low power translators,” he said. “We have a large translator network that covers a good part of our state, and we're working with equipment manufacturers, we're prototyping low power transmitters to roll out ATSC 3.0 into rural communities. I think this is where we start tackling the real issue of this which is the digital divide and how ATSC 3.0 can be a tremendous bridge to that.”

Streaming the Prime Driver of Growth
Andrew Russell, president and CEO of PBS SoCal in Los Angeles emphasized the impact that streaming has had on public broadcasting and the advantages of free in a world where consumers are being hit with constant subscription fee increases. 

“What is our big growth driver? Of course, it's streaming, that’s where viewers are going,” he said. “We're all trying to figure out what's the mix, because having broadband to participate in the economy is really a necessity.”

Ad-free content and localization are key differentiators separating public broadcasting from streaming, which is trending towards ad-supported services, Russell added. 

“I think the two opportunities that I don't think you see Disney+ or Netflix or others are going to do—one is to be locally focused and locally based,” he said. “That's our core strength. It's really hard to replicate the presence that we have in every community, and to use streaming for that purpose.

“The second is performance service,” he added. “We've been in the business of doing what the commercial market cannot and we've seen content that we know doesn't work. And while we went through this big streaming boom in the last few years, a lot of money was being thrown at that content and it is now receding. Now as we see streaming returning to advertising, it starts looking familiar—all of a sudden we see pullbacks in areas like high quality kids programming from the commercial market.” 

Stacey Decker, SVP, Innovation and System Strategies for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, urged attendees to continue to point to the intrinsic value of free over the air broadcasting, particularly during emergencies. But he also had a warning to his fellow broadcasters on the continuing dilemma of recruiting new blood.

“You got vertical real estate that's very valuable, and I think you should look to your neighbors and your partners to leverage that vertical real estate and point to the fact that cell phone towers are not as resilient, we know that; it's proven," Decker said. "The other thing I would say is that there's not a lot of RF engineers running around. I talked to people on a frequent basis that are concerned about supporting their infrastructure, because they have a shortage of staff. It's a skill set that's not widely available."

Whether or not some of that shortfall could be partly rectified by artificial intelligence, the other hot tech topic of the moment, is up for debate.

“A lot of our engineers have been working in the AI space for a long time,” Decker said. “It’s called ‘automation.”

“AI is going to change our lives,” Decker predicted, referring to a study from Goldman Sachs that estimates that as many as 300 million positions could be affected by AI. At NAB, there's a camera that's going to be announced that basically takes care of lighting and angles and you don't have to be a videographer. So certainly, there's a lot happening in the AI space. I think it will impact the broadcast infrastructure heavily.”

LOS ANGELES—PBS SoCal, Southern California's flagship PBS station, has announced a rebranding that will consolidate both the KCET and PBS SoCal local PBS stations under one name: PBS SoCal. 

Starting Tues. Feb. 6, the KCET broadcast channel will be referred to as ‘PBS SoCal Plus’ in order for both PBS flagship broadcast stations in Southern California to be under one unified brand, the public broadcaster said. 

The programming that viewers are currently used to seeing on KCET will not change, the stations said. 

“PBS SoCal and KCET merged in 2018, and since then, we have grown into a strong public media entity serving Southern California that reflects the diversity of our region and provides a full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS programs,” explained PBS SoCal president and CEO Andrew Russell. “While the broadcast channel name may be changing, the programs that viewers love on KCET—Artbound, Lost LA, Father Brown, Must See Movies and more -- will remain available on the channel and across all of our platforms. Our honored tradition, built by KCET, of producing original, thoughtful and inspiring content around the arts, local culture, environment, news and public affairs remains core to our deep commitment of serving our community with high-quality public media.”

The organization said that it had decided to make the change to unify its brand under one name, PBS SoCal, to improve efficiency and create better awareness. 

PBS SoCal has already consolidated the two websites under the PBS SoCal name, making it easier for visitors to discover programming, editorial content and resources, as well as making it more efficient for the organization to manage video assets and content. 

Viewers’ favorite programs will all be available to stream on one website destination pbssocal.org. Both KCET and PBS SoCal’s social media platforms and YouTube content will soon also be consolidated under the PBS SoCal brand.

The organization also said that the brand simplification reflects PBS SoCal's strategy of adapting a digital world and strengthening connections to a community where more audiences are engaging on streaming platforms. 

Currently, a combined seven broadcast channels are managed by PBS SoCal and are available to almost 19 million viewers in ten counties across Southern California through traditional linear broadcast television, as well as on the website, the PBS and PBS KIDS apps, YouTube and with highlighted content on social media platforms.

“While traditional, over-the-air, broadcast programming and scheduling efforts will continue to be as vital as ever to our organization’s success, the new branding effort recognizes the current media landscape and PBS SoCal’s commitment to on-demand and digital-first content for both regional and nationwide audiences,” commented PBS SoCal senior vice president of marketing and communications Dan Ferguson.

Over-the-air, local viewers will continue to be able to watch their favorite KCET (now ‘PBS SoCal Plus’) programming on 28.1 while PBS SoCal viewers will continue on 50.1. Cable and satellite carriers will host PBS SoCal Plus content on the same channels previously carrying KCET. Viewers will still see the broadcast call letters of KCET referenced during FCC mandated station identifier breaks.

Ken Burns. Mister Rogers. Downton Abbey. Earthquake warnings? Yes. While famous for producing educational programming for the American people, public television also plays an indispensable role in ensuring the public’s safety.

Using a portion of their FCC-licensed spectrum to send encrypted emergency information to law enforcement and first responder agencies:

• California’s public television stations are working with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to dramatically improve the standard warning time for earthquakes, from 30 seconds to one second.
• Alabama Public Television is the backbone for the state’s emergency alert system and provides extensive communications support for the departments of public safety and homeland security, the State Capitol Police, and 68 E911 centers throughout the state.
• In Texas, public television stations send real-time weather alerts, AMBER Alerts, school safety, flooding rescues, and hurricane and tornado warnings.
• New Mexico’s public television stations are expanding their signals to the “Bootheel” region bordering Mexico to provide emergency alerting and other public safety services, which may ultimately include border security.
• Vegas PBS in Nevada is the primary Emergency Operations Center for the Clark County School District, connecting schools, hospitals and first responders, and providing real-time alerts to the police department.
• At the national level, America’s public television stations have partnered with the US Department of Homeland Security to demonstrate our capabilities in over-water emergency communications, rural school safety, and helping law enforcement and first responder personnel to communicate better with each other.
• Just recently, millions of Americans’ cell phones were part of a successful test of FEMA’s National Wireless Emergency Alert System. But every day, America’s public television stations and PBS partner with FEMA to send cellphone users geo-targeted emergency text messages.
• And for decades, public television stations have provided the fail-safe path for communications from the President of the United States to the American people in times of national emergency.

We could do even more, and we hope to. Because of the one-to-many communications infrastructure of broadcasting, we have the potential to send highly-targeted, localized, multi-lingual, lifesaving messages –real-time video, a building blueprint, a picture of a missing child – to one or one million recipients simultaneously, without fear of overloading our capacity. 

Congress has funded the Next Generation Warning System program to help upgrade public broadcasters’ ability to respond to public safety challenges, particularly in rural areas and those underserved by internet providers. 

Properly equipped, public television stations could also enhance the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s nationwide weather alerting system, which is currently limited to radio-only communications but could be augmented with visual information including storm tracks, radar maps, evacuation routes, and recommended actions at the first sign of danger.

And with broadcast signals reaching 75 miles in every direction from our thousands of transmitters – each fortified against severe weather conditions and staffed full-time by professional engineers -- we are the obvious solution to many public safety challenges in rural America, where cell service remains elusive, expensive, and subject to the reliability of rural commercial power systems.

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967’s “universal service” mandate — to provide all Americans with free, over-the-air access to public broadcasting's programming and services -- ensures that our signals reach almost 100 percent of the U.S. population. 

Public television stations are proud of our educational programming and services, proud of the civic leadership we provide as the “C-SPAN” of state governments and chroniclers of heartland America’s history, culture and public affairs.

But nothing is more essential than our work in public safety, and in partnership with federal, state and local authorities we are ready to play an even greater role in protecting the lives and property of citizens everywhere.

Craig Fugate is the former Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a member of the board of trustees of America’s Public Television Stations. Patrick Butler is president and chief executive officer of America’s Public Television Stations.

AUTIN, Texas—Austin City Limits—now in its 49th season—is the longest-running music television show in history. We broadcast on PBS stations nationwide and host approximately 20 shows per year. We are proud of the contribution we have made over the years, not only to the city of Austin, but to American music culture at large. 

One of the things that makes us unique is that we have always let the artist choose the songs, giving them full artistic control. In my experience, this is highly unusual, and certainly welcomed by the artists we work with. Something else that makes us unique is we have recorded every performance in-house for all 49 years. These performances are then edited down to 13 one-hour episodes that run internationally. Some of the artists we have worked with include Paul Simon, Foo Fighters, Billie Eilish, Steve Miller and Lyle Lovett, among others. 

Maintain the Audio Vibe
We recently acquired a new Solid State Logic System T broadcast audio production platform, which is housed in the audio control room at the ACL Live at the Moody Theatre, where the show is produced. This is our permanent home and has a seating capacity of 2,750. The System T platform, which in our case comprises a 48-fader S500m console and dual TE1 Tempest Engines and a variety of SSL’s Network I/O interfaces, provides a comprehensive end-to-end solution for recording, mixing and broadcast applications. 

Since we are in an “all-analog” theater, it was important for us to have Dante/MADI capability out of the gate to meet our clients needs and the array of interfaces we see each season. We want to keep the vibe of what the band is presenting, but we also broadcast video both internally and to the public. We were presented with several options, but once Audio Director David Hough and I saw the Solid State Logic S500 console, we both agreed it was the perfect solution.

Gold Standard
Some of the features that drew us closer to the System T included the SuperAnalogue mic pres, and the on-board dynamics and effects—which are “gold standard” and very important to us. As far as the mic pres, from the very start you get the best signal possible, whether in a live or recording scenario and it is a sound that artists and bands can immediately connect with and appreciate. The powerful on-board DSP is great as well because we don’t want to have to rely on outboard gear, which we did in years prior. All of these features and more live within the S500 console, and it is great to have everything in one spot.

In addition to having the broadcast capability, networking capacity, high-quality mic pres and DSP functionality, we needed dynamic automation, which is not only key to the post side of our production but also a helpful tool with clients who want to hear a specific section or track after a rehearsal or performance. Using dual Tempest Engines, I love how we can go from one to the other seamlessly. On the SSL we can add processing or switch between primary or redundant engines without a drop in audio. It’s terrific!

Since we’ve installed it, everything has been very solid.  From a sound perspective, this really takes us to a more modern and next level place. SSL is a legacy brand, we are a legacy brand, it was a very easy match and we are very pleased. So far, we have done eight shows with the new console, and we’ve had nothing but success. 

For more information visit www.solidstatelogic.com.

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Five major television stations have launched NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, broadcasts in the South Bend-Elkhart television market.

The Thursday June 29 included  WSBT-TV (Sinclair-owned CBS and Fox affiliate), WNDU-TV (Gray Television’s NBC affiliate), WSJV (Gray Television’s H&I affiliate), WNIT (Michiana Public Broadcasting’s PBS affiliate), and WHME-TV (Family Broadcasting Corporation’s independent station). 

For the launch, WSJV, which is owned by Gray Television, has converted to ATSC 3.0 transmissions. WSJV will broadcast its own programming, as well as the programming of the other participating stations, in NextGen TV format. All programming of all participating stations will continue to be available in the existing digital format, which can be received on all modern television sets. 

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the five television stations.

BitPath will make its groundbreaking NavPath and BitPoint precise navigation and positioning services available at no charge to Indiana’s first responders.

TV Tech has been tracking the launch of NextGen TV broadcasts around the country. Our full list of markets that offer 3.0 signs is available here. 

Our full coverage of the technology can be accessed here.  

Public broadcasters have played a vital role in their communities and across the country for years, frequently bringing to the public programming and ideas that otherwise might not have seen the light of day on commercial television. 

So, it shouldn’t be too surprising that a pair of novel ideas about how public broadcasters can better serve viewers by advancing reception of 3.0 were proposed during the Public Media Venture Group’s Public Media Technology Summit on the eve of the 2023 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

First up is an idea from Jerome McDonald, chairman of the Western Sanders County TV District—a TV translator service district in Montana. 

McDonald proposed special districts, such as those responsible for firefighting and public safety, launch bond initiatives to fund deployment of NextGen TV receivers for residents in their service areas to ensure reception of ATSC 3.0-delivered Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) messages.

His proposal was particularly eye-opening for those unfamiliar with special districts. Currently, there are more than 30,000 single-purpose districts across the United States that deal with various public concerns ranging from mosquito abatement and sewage to fire protection, flood control and highways. That number does not include school districts, he added.

“Bonding,” as McDonald puts it—not the cellular IP type for ENG, but rather for funding public works—could be the right mechanism to advance the public’s uptake of NextGen TV. 

As McDonald sees it, funding 3.0 receivers—set-top boxes, HDMI dongles or even NextGen TVs—as part of a public safety service is reasonable and appropriate for certain special districts. What’s needed is a focused effort to educate the people on the boards of these districts about how 3.0 reception will advance their specific missions with the public. That’s a perfect mission for public broadcasters, said McDonald.

Next up is an idea presented on behalf of Madeleine Noland, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee, by Jerry Whitaker, ATSC vice president for standards, during the PMVG conference. (Noland was scheduled to present the conference keynote on April 14 but was delayed in arriving in Las Vegas due to the torrential rains in Florida.) 

The idea is simple. Identify a market or portion of a market with a relatively small population. Under the leadership of a public broadcaster, in other words funding from that broadcaster, outfit all households in the market with NextGen TV receivers and do a flash cut to ATSC 3.0.

Not only would the broadcaster be able to advance its mission of better serving the public in its coverage area with additional programming and the other benefits the standard brings to broadcasting, but the effort could demonstrate to regulators a path forward for accelerating 3.0 and hastening sunsetting of legacy DTV.

Given the FCC’s announcement that it too is looking for ways to move 3.0 along and end 1.0 without disenfranchising millions of DTV households, these ideas—or a combination of the two—could prove to be important parts of the solution it seeks. 

ARLINGTON, Va.—PBS announced an agreement that will bring live streams of local stations and the PBS Kids channel to Hulu + Live TV, which has 4.5 million subscribers. 

Participating PBS stations reaching audiences in more than 300 markets and cities across the country will become available on Hulu + Live TV over the next few months, with the full launch slated for completion by the end of year, PBS reported. 

“We are thrilled that one of the largest live TV streaming services is now home to quality local programming from PBS Member Stations,” said PBS chief digital and marketing officer, Ira Rubenstein. “As more and more households look to digital streaming offerings, this announcement is part of our commitment to meet audiences where they are with the PBS programming they know and love. PBS will continue to make trusted content available to all households across as many platforms as possible. We thank Hulu + Live TV for working with us to provide our viewers with more ways to watch programs through their local PBS station.”

“As one of the largest live TV streaming services in the U.S., we are committed to providing a best-in-class user experience and a premium national and local channel line-up for our millions of subscribers” said Reagan Feeney, senior vice president of live tv content programming and partnerships for Hulu. “PBS and PBS Kids are among the most frequently requested channels by our subscribers, and we’re thrilled to add them to our core line-up that now includes more than 90 live channels.”

MCLEAN, Va.—Satellite operator Intelsat recently started delivering Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) educational, music and arts content across the continental United States, as part of an exclusive satellite distribution agreement, the company announced last week at the NAB Show.

Starting earlier this year, Intelsat’s Galaxy 16 Ku-band satellite started delivering iconic PBS content to 156 broadcast affiliates reaching an audience of nearly 50 million primetime viewers.

“As America’s largest public media enterprise, PBS trusts Intelsat to reliably deliver on their crucial mission of providing high-quality programming to their member stations across the continental United States,” said Pascale Fromont, Vice President and General Manager of Media for Intelsat. “With the addition of PBS to the Intelsat family, all major broadcasters in the U.S. are utilizing the Intelsat fleet for content delivery.”

Located at 99W, the performance and reach of Galaxy 16 into North America were key factors in PBS’s selection of Intelsat to meet its distribution needs. Intelsat says its Galaxy fleet is the most comprehensive in North America, serving 123 million TV households.

In addition to satellite, PBS also distributes programming via fiber to some of its member stations, particularly those in urban areas.