Is PBS Shutting Down? How About NPR?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced on July 31 that it would start shutting down its operations following the current administration rescinding $1.1 billion in funding for the nonprofit. The CPB has helped keep NPR, PBS and many local public media stations alive over the past few decades. So, what does this mean for NPR and PBS?

In a statement, CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said, "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." She added that the organization would try to help its partners as they transition and shut down "with transparency and care."

So, is PBS shutting down? How about NPR? Is Big Bird going away? The answer, at least for now, is no.

According to Nik Popli of Time magazine in a story published on July 31, the CPB news "will not bring an immediate end to national programming like PBS NewsHour or NPR's Morning Edition. But the decision is expected to pose serious challenges to the network of smaller, often rural public broadcasters that have long depended on CPB funding for their survival."

Big Bird and other Sesame Street puppet characters pose next to temporary street sign at West 64th Street and Broadway in New York. (Photo by STAN HONDA / AFP) (Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

STAN HONDA/Getty Images

For now, shows such as the PBS NewsHour, All Things Considered and PBS's popular kids' shows will still be available.

"National programming like PBS NewsHour, All Things Considered, and children's shows will not disappear overnight," Popli states. "But the loss of CPB funding threatens the financial stability of the local stations that carry these shows—particularly those in rural or underserved regions that have long depended on federal support to stay on the air."

He adds that with the lack of CPB grants, some stations may have to "reduce staff, cut programming, or shut down altogether." Those actions may "have a significant impact in smaller communities, where public media stations are often among the few remaining sources of local journalism." So, the areas that might lose their local news access tend to be in rural America, according to Popli.

The New York Times has reported that around 120,000 new donors have contributed an estimated $20 million in annual value to public media for the past three months, when public media was asking for help, but it wasn't enough.

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