The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Monday that its board of directors has voted to dissolve the organization after Congress revoked all federal funding, ending its 58-year-old role overseeing government investments in public media.
CPB announced plans to close in August, but the board’s vote Monday made the move official.
CPB leaders said Monday that continued political attacks and the elimination of federal appropriations have made it impossible to continue operating under the Public Broadcasting Act. The board says that without funding the corporation cannot legally support the nation’s public media system or carry out responsibilities mandated by Congress.
“For more than half a century, CPB has existed to ensure that all Americans have access to trustworthy news, educational programming and local storytelling,” CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said in a statement. He said it was necessary to dissolve the organization to protect the integrity and independence of public media.
Following the 2024 election, President Trump formally called on Congress to cancel public broadcaster funding over the next two years through a request for repeal, which required a simple majority in both the House and Senate for approval. Congress approved that plan in mid-July, withdrawing $1.1 billion earmarked for public broadcasters over the next two years.
Board chair Ruby Keillor called the loss of funding “devastating”, but said she was confident that public media would endure it through local stations and future congressional action.
Founded in 1967, CPB helped create a nationwide network of more than 1,500 public radio and television stations and supported programming such as “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, emergency alert systems and investigative journalism.
CPB said it will complete an orderly closing, distribute remaining funds as directed by Congress, and preserve its archives and historic public media content in partnership with the University of Maryland.
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