Public Radio/TV Officials Lobby To Preserve Public Funding

Nearly 200 public broadcasting officials from radio and television stations across the United States converged on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday to lobby lawmakers to preserve federal funding for public media. 

The effort was a direct response to aggressive moves by President Donald Trump and his allies to eliminate financial support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which partially funds National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and approximately 1,500 local public media stations nationwide.

Approximately 190 officials from local public radio and television stations, representing a broad cross-section of the country, gathered at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., to strategize before meeting with lawmakers. These officials aimed to emphasize the critical role of public media in their communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

The primary goal was to convince Congress to maintain the $535 million annual federal funding allocated to the CPB for fiscal year 2025, which supports local stations, NPR, and PBS. The officials highlighted the value of public media in providing free, nonpartisan news, educational programming, and emergency alerts, especially in areas with limited access to other media sources.

NPR CEO Katherine Maher

The officials met with members of Congress to share data on their stations’ audience engagement and community impact, stressing that federal funds are essential for their operations. They underscored the loyalty of their audiences, who are often engaged voters, to appeal to lawmakers’ political interests.

Trump and GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Sen. Tom Cotton, accused NPR and PBS of liberal bias, citing coverage of issues like COVID-19 origins, transgender topics, and Hunter Biden’s laptop. At a March 2025 House oversight hearing, Greene and others grilled NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, claiming their programming was partisan.

CPB, NPR, and PBS rejected the executive order as “blatantly unlawful,” citing the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act, which forbids government control over CPB or its grantees. CPB planned to ignore the order, and both NPR and PBS vowed to challenge it in court, arguing it violated First Amendment rights and congressional intent.