PBS, NPR Nervous As FCC Examines Sponsorships

Four decades ago, the Reagan administration urged PBS to seek alternative funding sources for public television beyond taxpayer support. PBS rose to the occasion by refining its sponsor acknowledgment approach. Rather than simply displaying a corporate logo before programs, PBS permitted underwriters to air messages resembling traditional commercials. This shift bolstered funding for shows like “Nova,” “Masterpiece,” and Ken Burns’ celebrated documentaries.

Now, however, this practice faces criticism from Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman. Carr contends that these sponsorship spots veer into forbidden commercial territory, reports The LA Times.

 In a January 30 letter to PBS and NPR—which also features similar corporate messages—Carr expressed his backing for terminating federal funding to public broadcasting. “For my own part, I see no justification for Congress to keep funneling taxpayer money to NPR and PBS,” he wrote, pointing to the abundance of media options available today.

Conservatives have long pushed to slash funding for PBS and NPR, accusing them of pushing liberal agendas. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has introduced the Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda Act to eliminate federal support for these outlets. Republican efforts to defund public broadcasting stretch back to the Nixon era, but the current moment—amid the DOGE era, with Elon Musk empowered by President Trump to overhaul the federal budget—lends Carr’s stance heightened significance.

PBS and NPR are merely the latest in Carr’s crosshairs. He has aggressively targeted owners of government-licensed broadcast channels, aligning his moves with Trump’s hostility toward mainstream media critical of the administration. Yet Carr’s January 30 letter offered no concrete instances of PBS or NPR breaching public broadcasting regulations.

PBS President Paula Kerger, in an interview, defended their model: “We’ve always relied on a mix of modest government funding, philanthropy, and corporate support. We’ve collaborated with the FCC to ensure compliance with their expectations.” Likewise, NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher, whose network produces “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” affirmed in a statement that NPR has followed FCC underwriting guidelines.