PBS and their affiliates had a similar lawsuit on the same grounds in response to the recissions at CPB but its current status is not out yet as of this posting. Yes the first amendment is a factor here.NPR was in court on Thursday for its lawsuit against the president's executive order:
NPR v. Trump case moves forward as Judge hears arguments on Thursday
An executive order in May prohibited federal agencies from providing funding to NPR and prevented public radio stations from using federal funding to pay for NPR programs. Aspen Public Radio is a co-plaintiff and argues that the lawsuit remains relevant, despite Congress’s rescission package...www.aspenpublicradio.org
One might say the lawsuit is moot, given the defunding of CPB. But there are other federal grants that could be affected, including one from NEA and other grants from DOE and FEMA.
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CPB to cease operations
- Thread starter DaveBayArea
- Start date
The PBS lawsuit is also about the executive order, not the recission at CPB. But yes, it hasn't gone to trial yet:
PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting
PBS sues Trump administration over executive order targeting public broadcasting.
There are lots of other government grants covered by the EO that weren't affected by the recission.
There were no lawsuits about the recission. Personally, I think there were grounds for a lawsuit, but none were pursued.
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The Public Media Bridge Fund has announced a round of grants. Twelve of the grants are to stations in Alaska
current.org
This is to fill the void left by the CPB rescission.
Public Media Bridge Fund announces initial round of grants
The fund will provide $26 million to 74 public media organizations.
current.org
This is to fill the void left by the CPB rescission.
Following the CPB defund, there's a group asking the FCC to "delicense" public radio stations.
radioink.com
There really is no legal basis for the FCC to delicense local radio stations. The FCC doesn't license networks, including NPR. NPR doesn't own any licenses or stations, and stations aren't required to carry NPR. It's all voluntary. The Public Broadcasting Act is still law. Nobody has attempted to repeal it. So public radio still exists.
Once again, neither network occupies any spectrum, nor are they under any rule to serve the standards of licensees.
Conservative Group Calls for FCC to Strip NPR Broadcast Licenses - Radio Ink
The Center for American Rights has urged the FCC to review or revoke NPR broadcast licenses, arguing the networks no longer meet public-interest standards.
radioink.com
There really is no legal basis for the FCC to delicense local radio stations. The FCC doesn't license networks, including NPR. NPR doesn't own any licenses or stations, and stations aren't required to carry NPR. It's all voluntary. The Public Broadcasting Act is still law. Nobody has attempted to repeal it. So public radio still exists.
Once again, neither network occupies any spectrum, nor are they under any rule to serve the standards of licensees.
The CPB Board has voted to "disband."
radioink.com
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Officially Votes to Disband - Radio Ink
After 58 years of service to the American public, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board of Directors has formally voted to dissolve the organization.
radioink.com
The CPB Board has voted to "disband."
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Officially Votes to Disband - Radio Ink
After 58 years of service to the American public, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board of Directors has formally voted to dissolve the organization.
That is a very smart decision not only in the face of the rescission of Federal funds but also in the face of the Trump Administration's continuing to try to gain control of the now-disolved agency.
Here is a link to the press release:
cpb.org
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Votes to Dissolve Organization in Act of Responsible Stewardship to Protect the Future of Public Media
Washington, D.C. (January 5, 2026) — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress to steward the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting, announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the organization...
I see, but without any prospect of gaining new funding any time soon, it seems to me that what they've chosen to do is the only viable option.
Since it's still technically a legal entity, it seems like once an administration and/or Congress that cares about such things is elected, the CPB could be revived, yes?
In other words, without Congress passing a law that repeals the PBA, the CPB isn't dead, simply dormant unless/until a new funding bill is passed that includes CPB monies. Correct?
c
Since it's still technically a legal entity, it seems like once an administration and/or Congress that cares about such things is elected, the CPB could be revived, yes?
In other words, without Congress passing a law that repeals the PBA, the CPB isn't dead, simply dormant unless/until a new funding bill is passed that includes CPB monies. Correct?
c
Congress doesn't typically appropriate money for things unless there is a justification presented to the appropriations committees. Without anyone to make that presentation, there would be no justification for the funding.
The Washington Post has an opinion column about the end of CPB:
The first sentence stopped me.
Obviously the writer never read the Public Broadcasting Act. The whole purpose of CPB was to distribute federal funding. This was from back in an era when that was pretty common. Not anymore. The government no longer disburses federal funds. The CPB was prohibited by statute from raising its own money. The purpose was to use taxpayer money to invest in programming. That was back when TV & radio wasn't about ideology. So yes, in that contest, perhaps the writer is correct.
The first sentence stopped me.
Obviously the writer never read the Public Broadcasting Act. The whole purpose of CPB was to distribute federal funding. This was from back in an era when that was pretty common. Not anymore. The government no longer disburses federal funds. The CPB was prohibited by statute from raising its own money. The purpose was to use taxpayer money to invest in programming. That was back when TV & radio wasn't about ideology. So yes, in that contest, perhaps the writer is correct.
Oh hell yeah, me too.
Un needed? So just because we choose to live rurally, we should suffer WaPo?
For about 1200 people across the west central interior, they have no other local radio station and for many of those, they cant even HEAR any other radio station.
When a town is about to flood after the river starts flowing again and ice chunks the size of cars jam things up, sending water into town.. people aren't going to be thumbing through their phones or computers for info. Many communities dont have cell service, some only have 2g with no mobile browsing available and some people dont have internet or computers.... theyre going to be in their basements (some people have them) and on the first floor of their house moving stuff to higher ground... while the radio is on.. because why? The radio station has always been there and they know when major stuff happens, someone will be on air (I got a call as mcgrath had the very beginnings of a flood as water was coming up over the south end of our runway.. from our city administration at a neighbors hopuse in their basement, helping them move stuff)
When theres a small fire across a small river bend opening form McGrath that could turn very bad very quick with just a few embers.. where are they going to get info? This won't be reported online for the most part for awhile, wether through unofficial sources or official wildfire websites. Who reports on it? Public radio.
When a crash into the middle of the Bering Sea kills all on board, including a McGrath resident whos there to report on verifiable details? Public radio. When a 6 year connected to McGrath dies under suspicious circumstances.. who then brings in a mental health counselor on the air because LOCAL public radio staff read the pulse and mood of the community? Public radio.
Who has important interviews on when specialists regarding disaster, medical or veternarian are visiting town? Public radio.
Public radio with a staff of 1 does all that and more here.
I've never heard any of our local PBS TV or NPR (former college) stations do any live local storm coverage. What few local community stations LPFM's etc...we have do almost no news, weather etc...The big guys used to do a decent job, but anymore, we get news at the top and bottom of the hour that's about it. I'm 30 miles east out in the countryside, between two major metro areas Cincinnati and Dayton. We had a major tornado hit our community about 3 years ago. Other than TV news coverage which wasn't great, we had no info but our local Facebook page. We couldn't watch the TV since we had no electric. Where to go for shelter, where to go if you needed supplies etc...we simply went to the local high school once we could get out of the driveway. Also it was a tornado that hit within seconds without warning. The sirens in the area never had a chance to go off
NPR comment on the end of CPB:
www.insideradio.com
NPR Reaffirms Commitment To Independent Journalism Following CPB’s Closure.
National Public Radio on Tuesday issued a statement on the decision by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to vote itself out of existence, saying that while CPB’s end “marks the
Every emergency is different, but was there not a tornado watch prior to the tornado? If your community had a local CPB-qualified station things might have been different. In our area we deal with wildfires for the most part, and I can tell you that whenever there is an emergency we provide regular updates at the top of the hour or continuously if it is urgent. People will purposely tune in for updates from our OES and/or firefighters, sheriff, or wherever news comes from. Yes, the power is out, and cell service typically goes away a few hours after that if you're in an area with cell coverage (more than 1/2 of our coverage area has no cell service). But this CPB-qualified radio station remains on the air. The funding from CPB filled the gap between the donations available from a rural community vs the cost of actually running a station. Like buying and maintaining generators.
I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing there was no organization in the area between Cincinnati & Dayton that had dedicated people who chose to establish a radio station and jump through the hoops it took to become CPB-qualified and serve your area. Commercial operators won't do it because there's no profit in it. Religious operators come from a completely different perspective, often times funded through channels that have nothing directly to do with broadcasting. But CPB-funded stations traditionally respond to emergencies. I for one have to say I am very proud of the small part I play in serving this community - a small part which got very big during the Mosquito fire, the River fire, and the Jones fire. Not to mention something called PSPS (look it up if you're not from California). The sudden loss of a major portion of our operating budget is a huge hurdle, and it has caused more than a few people to tell me they are sorry they voted for Trump. But that's a completely different discussion - not for here. The bottom line is that the energy and dedication is still there, and we are committed to continuing this service. CPB provided a means for us to build this infrastructure, and now we must find a way to keep it going.
Dave B.
KVMR radio
... that.. right there. .150 percent
Opinion: Lessons from NPR’s past efforts to reach minority listeners
Rather than working to maintain the status quo, this could be the moment for NPR to reimagine its mission by broadening its listener base beyond an elite few.
current.org
Why university stations need to prove their institutional value — before a crisis hits
Without preparation, stations can struggle to articulate their value, leaving them vulnerable to disruptive changes.
current.org
Here's more given that Public media is in the post CPB era.
At least one republican is talking about restoring "some funding" for public radio in the next budget:
communicationsdaily.com
The problem is how would it be distributed, now that CPB is gone? It's hard to put humpty dumpty back together.
Bacon Presses House to Restore at Least Some Federal Public Broadcasting Money for FY26
The problem is how would it be distributed, now that CPB is gone? It's hard to put humpty dumpty back together.