The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has announced that its board of directors has voted to formally dissolve the organization, ending its 58-year role as the federally chartered manager of public broadcasting.
Public Broadcasting Corporation called Its dissolution is “an act of responsible management to protect the future of public media”, emphasizing that it was the board’s last effort to protect the system it was created to serve. CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said, “When the Administration and Congress revoked federal funding, our Board faced a deep responsibility: CPB’s ultimate task must be to protect the integrity and democratic values of the public media system, rather than allowing the organization to remain underfunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.”
The organization further claimed that “a dysfunctional and underfunded CPB could be vulnerable to political manipulation or abuse in the future, threatening the independence of public media and audience confidence in it, and potentially exposing staff and board members to legal exposure from bad-faith actors.”
According to CPB, the decision to shut down came after Congress End All remaining federal funding and a $9 billion cut package passed in mid-2025, which included a $1.1 billion cut to the CPB. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson praised The legislation was described at the time as eliminating “waste spending” and protecting funding for “politically biased media outlets like NPR and PBS.” These legislative actions come after President Donald Trump issued a May 2025 executive order he said“No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidy,” claiming that Americans deserve “fair, accurate and non-partisan coverage” if their taxes are paying for it.
Despite the legal dispute included to Following a $36 million contract with National Public Radio (NPR), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting faced widespread funding cuts that ultimately made its operations unsustainable. NPR sued CPB after the organization suspended its contract, alleging political interference. CPB initially claimed that the decision was motivated by the shift towards digital innovation, but during the proceedings, the judge told CPB’s legal team that he did not find this argument credible. The matter was settled in November 2025, with CPB agreeing to fulfill the contract.
CPB President Ruby Calvert appeared to place the blame for the organization’s decline squarely on the actions of the current Republican majority in Congress. “After nearly six decades of innovative, educational public television and radio service, Congress eliminated all funding for CPB, leaving the Board with no way to continue the organization or support the public media system that depends on it. Yet, even in this moment, I am confident that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address the role of public media in our country because doing so is vital to the education of our children, our history, culture, and democracy.”
Despite the strike, CPB leader reaffirmed The mission of public media will continue through local stations and partners. Harrison said, “Public media are essential to a healthy democracy.” “Our hope is that future leaders and generations will recognize its value, protect its independence and continue the work of ensuring that trustworthy, educational and community-focused media remains accessible to all Americans.”
