Supporters Of Public Media Defend Funding

Supporters of public media, including the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), have been actively mobilizing to defend these outlets against recent threats of defunding, particularly in response to actions from the Trump administration and Republican-led congressional efforts in 2025. 

Advocacy Campaigns

Protect My Public Media: This action network has been a key player in organizing resistance to funding cuts. They collaborate with over 400 public media stations, national organizations, programming producers, and individuals to campaign against a $1.1 billion rescissions package that would eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports PBS and NPR. 

Their efforts include:

• Urging supporters to contact lawmakers, especially those on the Senate Appropriations Committee, to oppose the rescissions package. They provide tools to easily send emails to senators, such as Utah’s Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis.
• Encouraging individuals to share personal stories through short videos about what public media means to them, amplifying these messages to expand outreach.
• Releasing television ads in Republican states with undecided senators to sway votes against defunding.
• American Coalition for Public Radio: This group also facilitates advocacy by encouraging supporters to contact lawmakers to preserve federal funding for public radio stations, emphasizing the role of local stations like KPCW in providing essential services.

Lobbying on Capitol Hill: In May 2025, nearly 200 public radio station officials visited Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers, emphasizing the value of public media in delivering local news, emergency alerts, and educational programming. They highlighted the role of stations in filling gaps left by declining local news outlets, particularly in rural areas.

Station managers, such as those at Blue Ridge Public Radio in North Carolina and Pioneer PBS in Minnesota, have made direct pleas to congressional delegations, emphasizing the "catastrophic" impact of losing federal funding, which can account for up to 30–50% of some stations’ budgets.

Legal Challenges

Lawsuits Against Executive Actions: In response to President Trump’s May 1, 2025, executive order (Executive Order 14290) directing the CPB to cease funding NPR and PBS, both organizations, along with local stations, have filed lawsuits:

• On May 27, NPR and three Colorado public radio stations sued the Trump administration, arguing that the executive order violates the First Amendment and exceeds presidential authority under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.
• On May 30, PBS and Minnesota’s Lakeland PBS filed a similar lawsuit, alleging the order constitutes "viewpoint discrimination" and infringes on their editorial discretion.
• The CPB itself has challenged the administration, asserting that it is an independent nonprofit not subject to presidential directives and that the order is illegal.

CPB Board Dispute: The CPB is also suing the Trump administration over the alleged illegal firing of three board members, which supporters argue is an attempt to control the organization’s operations.

Supporters of PBS and NPR are employing a multi-faceted strategy to defend public media, combining grassroots advocacy, legal challenges, public messaging, and financial contingency planning. These efforts aim to preserve the federal funding that constitutes a small but critical portion of public media budgets (1% for NPR, 15% for PBS, but up to 50% for smaller stations). The outcome of the July 18 Senate vote on the rescissions package and ongoing lawsuits will be pivotal in determining the future of public media in the U.S.