Elon Musk Could Help Slash Public Media Funding

Sesame Street’s “Sunny Days” may not be as bright if Elon Musk makes good on his proposal to eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual funding that is allocated to PBS and NPR stations — home to Elmo and the gang and popular programs like All Things Considered and Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley.

The Philly Inquirer reports Elon Musk is in a unique position to recommend defunding public media. 

National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service are preparing for the effects of funding cuts. After the 2024 election, the leaders at NPR’s biggest member stations circulated a report that stated “it would be unwise to assume that events will play out as they have in the past” in regard to federal funding, the New York Times reported, as PBS was made aware of the situation by political consultants in early December. Station directors in certain states have started lobbying legislators.

The NY Times is apoplectic over the possible defunding of NPR despite its failing ratings and rising political bias. https://t.co/pMpWRW8iEx There is no discussion of the inherent conflict of the government funding a news organization... https://t.co/s1Pu7fZOcH

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) December 28, 2024

WHYY is the Philadelphia region’s PBS/NPR member station, serving 2.9 million households in the Philadelphia area, Delaware, and South Jersey — one of the country’s top 10 markets, as of March, according to the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. Fresh Air, one of the most well-known NPR programs, is owned and produced by WHYY. It’s unclear how WHYY will be affected by potential cuts or if the station is bracing for any impact. New Jersey also has its own public media network — NJ PBS — which is composed of various outlets, including WNJN.

In a statement to The Inquirer, Gary Bramnick, senior director of marketing communications at WHYY, emphasized the importance of public media for educational content, cultural programming, and news regardless of a consumer’s income or location.

“Supporting diverse audiences, voices and perspectives, Public Media is an invaluable asset to our society, offering a unique blend of services that enrich our lives, supports an engaged civic populace and ultimately strengthens our democracy,” he said Friday. “Investing in public media is an investment in a more informed, engaged, and equitable society.”

A spokesperson for PBS echoed Bramnick’s sentiments in a statement Friday and said PBS is grateful to have bipartisan support in Congress.