Corporation for Public Broadcasting announces ‘Responsible and orderly closeout’ amid Cuts
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on Friday announced its decision to begin “an orderly wind-down of its operations” as a result of the organization’s recent loss of federal funding. The exclusion of CPB from the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill was the first in “more than five decades.”
Congress authorized the Washington DC-based CPB’s formation in 1967 to act as, as the nonprofit organization says, “the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide.” Moreover, the CPB notes it is “the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related online services.”
Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” Patricia Harrison, CPB’s president and CEO, said in a statement for the announcement. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
According to the CPB, its employees have been notified that “the majority of staff positions will conclude with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025,” with a “small transition team” remaining in place through January of next year in an effort to “ensure a responsible and orderly closeout of operations.”
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” Harrison said of the CPB’s raison d'être. “We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.”
The loss of the CPB is gut-wrenching for public, independent media, as well as for diversity and inclusion. I’ve covered the work of PBS Kids extensively several times over the last few years, covering programming and more that make up the confluence of disability, technology, and television. In fact, just last week I reached out to the network seeking color from its senior vice president and general manager in Sara DeWitt about what the Trump administration’s budget cuts may mean for her team. I’ve interviewed her on numerous occasions, but PBS Kids declined comment this time. Be that as it may, one needn’t get an on-the-record interview to know which way the wind is blowing; to wit, as with cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, disability inclusion and representation is taking it especially hard on the chin lately. In the case of broadcasting, that PBS Kids produces shows like Carl the Collector that not only put disabled people in the spotlight, it gives every child (and their families) crucial lessons in why showing compassion and empathy is important. With the CPB shuttering operations, that puts such educational opportunities in serious peril—to the detriment of society writ large.
I’ll report back if and when PBS Kids makes official statement(s) on these matters.
