PBS and NPR are in the news this week. But, they’re the topic of conversation for dubious reasons.
This week, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting decided to close. Political pressure directly contributed to the folding of this nonprofit. For 58 years, the CPB handled dispensing federal funding to the Public Broadcasting Service and the National Public Radio. Both NPR and PBS are still here. In a statement, the board of the CPB clarified that they made the decision to shut down to preserve the integrity of public radio and television in the United States of America.
“What has happened to public media is devastating,” said Ruby Calvert, Chair of CPB’s Board of Directors. “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.”
Calvert continued, “Yet, even in this moment, I am convinced that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address public media’s role in our country because it is critical to our children’s education, our history, culture and democracy to do so.”
PBS and NPR survive end of Center for Public Broadcasting
Now, the hard work begins for PBS and NPR. For as long as I can remember, they have existed with outside funding from “viewers like you.” The individual audiences and communities that help give each PBS and NPR affiliate their flavor are stepping up to make sure that public media survives this ordeal.
On PBS and NPR stations around the United States, viewers and listeners are exposed to cultural fare like stage plays or concerts. (I don’t know a single person who hasn’t had their day lifted by a random Tiny Desk concert.) These are the sort of contributions that risk being tossed aside if these two institutions were to go under. It’s a lot to process right now.
In PBS’s own words: “PBS continues to expand access to the arts by bringing the best in drama, music, visual arts, and more into the homes and hearts of all Americans. The arts entertain and inspire us while also creating vibrant, healthy communities,” they wrote. “That’s why we continue to remove economic and geographic barriers to the arts while encouraging participation and further uniting our audiences.”
How to help PBS and NPR?
The easiest way to help ensure that this American institution keeps going would be to find your local station and see what they need. (Here’s a helpful directory.) In addition, NPR also relies on the support of listeners. (They also make it easy to find out where you can listen locally.)
“Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy,” CPB President Patricia Harrison typed in that statement. “Our hope is that future leaders and generations will recognize its value, defend its independence, and continue the work of ensuring that trustworthy, educational, and community-centered media remains accessible to all Americans.”
(featured image: PBS)
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