HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—A majority of state residents polled wants Alabama Public Television (APT) to continue its relationship with PBS, but among those who expressed an opinion slightly more than half perceived a political leaning in its coverage.
The findings, part of a poll conducted by the firm Cygnal, were released Sept. 29 coinciding with a public meeting of the Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority (AETFA).
An article by Ben Sessoms on the website Alabama Reflector website reported that at an October 2025 meeting of AETFA, an authority commissioner said he opposed PBS programming due to perceived political bias.
According to the Cygnal poll, of the 363 respondents that offered an opinion, 32% said APT programming leans politically liberal, 20% perceived a conservative bent and 47% said the programming is generally balanced. A total of 237 of the poll’s 600 respondents were unsure.
The poll also asked respondents about whether or not APT stays within the bounds of state law prohibiting the broadcasters from carrying propaganda, attempting to influence legislation or engage in political campaigns. Of the 341 respondents answering the question, 218 said the broadcaster stays within the requirement. A total of 123 said it does not, and 259 were unsure.
When it comes to news fairness, respondents gave APT high marks. Among those who watch APT coverage of the state legislature, “PBS NewsHour” and “Capitol Journal,” 158 found coverage to be fair and even-handed, while 73 thought it was unfair or one-sided. A total of 202 said they do not watch APT news programming, and 167 were unsure.
Despite the mixed bag when it comes to political leaning and news fairness, most respondents (54%) said they favored maintaining support for PBS programming, while 18% were against it, and 28% were unsure.
The poll of 600 Alabama citizens was conducted Sept. 20-23. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%. Known registered voters were interviewed via live phones and SMS, and the survey was weighted to a general population universe, Cygnal said.
