By: Ariella Haviv

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit entity that has overseen federal support for public media for nearly six decades, announced on Friday that it will begin shutting down following Congress’s decision to eliminate its funding. The move, which will reshape the landscape of American public broadcasting, comes just weeks after lawmakers approved a sweeping package of spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump that included stripping $1.1 billion in federal support for the CPB.

According to a report on NBC News that appeared on Friday, the CPB said in a statement that it will commence an “orderly wind-down” of its operations, concluding most staff positions at the end of the fiscal year on September 30. A smaller group of employees will remain through January 2026 to oversee the final stages of the shutdown. The organization did not specify the total number of layoffs.

“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” Patricia Harrison, the CPB’s president and CEO, said in a statement cited by NBC News. She pledged that the organization would fulfill its fiduciary obligations with transparency while supporting public media partners during the transition.

The CPB has been the federal steward of public media access since its establishment in 1967, created to insulate programming from direct political pressures while distributing federal funds to local public broadcasting stations. Its elimination represents one of the most significant rollbacks of public media infrastructure in U.S. history.

Currently, the CPB helps support more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations nationwide, many of which serve rural communities that lack other media outlets. As NBC News reported, the decision to terminate funding has raised alarms about the survival of smaller stations that rely heavily on CPB support to stay on the air.

“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” Harrison said in her statement.

The defunding of the CPB has long been a policy goal for the Trump administration, which has argued that taxpayer dollars should not support entities like National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Officials have accused both organizations of political bias—allegations that have been consistently denied by NPR and PBS.

As NBC News noted, the decision to eliminate CPB funding was not without dissent among Republicans. Several lawmakers from rural districts opposed the cuts, warning that their constituents depend on public radio and television for everything from emergency communications to educational children’s programming. Nevertheless, the administration’s position prevailed, with the spending bill signed into law earlier this month.

The elimination of CPB funding has sparked strong reactions across the public media sector. NPR issued a statement shortly after the congressional vote calling the decision an “irreversible loss.” The organization emphasized that if local stations fail as a result of the sudden cut in support, “a vital stitch in our American fabric will be gone for good.”

Days after the funding decision, NPR’s editor-in-chief and senior vice president, Edith Chapin, announced her resignation, a move that underscored the sense of upheaval within the network. PBS, meanwhile, sought to reassure viewers. Its flagship news program, PBS NewsHour, released a statement on X saying: “The program is not going anywhere. We will continue our work without fear or favor, as we have for nearly five decades on the air.”

According to the information provided in the NBC News report, while some of the most established PBS and NPR programs are expected to survive thanks to alternative funding streams, smaller outlets that depend heavily on CPB grants face existential threats. The risk is particularly acute for stations in rural areas, where local public media often fills the void left by commercial broadcasters.

The CPB’s closure marks not only a political victory for the administration but also a profound shift in how Americans will access public media. The organization has been central to distributing federal funds in ways designed to ensure broad and equitable access to programming across the country.

As the NBC News report highlighted, public media’s reach extends well beyond cultural programming. It has provided vital emergency alerts during natural disasters, promoted civic engagement through locally produced political coverage, and offered educational resources, including acclaimed children’s programming such as Sesame Street and Arthur.

Without the CPB’s financial support, many smaller stations may be forced to reduce programming or close altogether, potentially depriving millions of Americans of trusted news, educational, and cultural content.

In its announcement, the CPB emphasized that the wind-down process would be handled carefully, with a small team of staff retained through January 2026 to manage the transition. Harrison promised that the organization would work closely with station partners to navigate the uncertainty ahead.

Despite the impending closure, public media organizations continue to project resilience. As NBC News reported, PBS and NPR did not immediately comment on the CPB announcement but have made it clear in recent weeks that their mission will continue, even under strained financial conditions.

The fate of American public broadcasting now hinges on the ability of local stations to secure alternative funding streams from state governments, private donors, and community foundations. Larger national programs may weather the loss of federal support, but the disappearance of CPB funding could lead to a patchwork future in which access to public media depends more heavily on geography and local wealth.

For advocates of public media, the closure represents a symbolic and practical blow to an institution that has played a central role in American civic and cultural life for generations. For critics, it marks a necessary step toward reducing government spending and eliminating what they see as politically biased media.

What remains clear is that the closure of the CPB will mark the end of an era. As NBC News observed, after nearly sixty years of federally backed support, the American system of public broadcasting is entering uncharted territory—without its central steward.