CPB: NPR Suit Is An “Conspiracy Theory”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is defending its award of nearly $58 million to a new nonprofit for distributing public media content in the U.S., dismissing National Public Radio's (NPR) legal challenge as an “over-caffeinated conspiracy theory.”

Radio World was first to report that in a federal court filing this week, CPB urged Judge Randolph Moss to deny NPR's bid for summary judgment and an injunction, calling NPR's claims of retaliation to curry favor with the Trump administration “ridiculous,” “overblown,” and “demonstrably false.” 

CPB insists the allegations contradict Congress's intent and lack legal merit.

The dispute arose from CPB's late-September decision to grant $57.9 million over five years to Public Media Infrastructure (PMI), a new consortium tasked with managing public radio distribution through 2030 via the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS). PMI comprises American Public Media Group, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, New York Public Radio, Public Radio Exchange (PRX), and the Station Resource Group.

NPR alleges CPB rushed the grant to PMI out of “desperation” to deliver a “win” for the Trump administration amid threats to CPB funding, driven by the administration's “intense dislike” for NPR. It cites an April 2025 meeting with a senior U.S. Office of Management and Budget official who voiced disdain for NPR, claiming this triggered CPB's abrupt reversal—motivated by politics, not fiscal or governance issues.

CPB counters that no evidence shows any government official ever directed, suggested, or encouraged action against NPR. It highlights years of expert warnings against NPR's “sole and exclusive control” over PRSS interconnection funds, deeming it a “de facto monopoly” contrary to the public interest.

CPB says it repeatedly urged NPR to negotiate a transition to independent management but NPR showed “no interest.”