The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that its board of directors has officially voted to dissolve the organization, marking the end of its 58-year role as the federally mandated governor of public broadcasting.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting called its dissolution is “an act of responsible governance to protect the future of public media,” emphasizing that it was the board’s last attempt to protect the system it was created to operate. “When the Administration and Congress cut off federal funding,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison, “our Board has a profound responsibility: CPB’s final act will be to protect the integrity of the public media system and democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing, the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.”
The organization further stated that “a dormant and defunded CPB could become vulnerable to future political manipulation or abuse, jeopardizing the independence of public media and its audience's trust, as well as potentially exposing staff and board members to legal exposure from unscrupulous actors.”
According to the PBC, the decision to close was made after Congress. discontinued all remaining federal funding and enacted a $9 billion restructuring package in mid-2025 that included $1.1 billion in CPB spending cuts. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson praised legislation in place at the time aimed at eliminating “wasteful spending” and protecting what he called “politically biased media outlets like NPR and PBS.” These legislative actions came after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in May 2025. declaring“No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies,” arguing that Americans deserve “fair, accurate and unbiased coverage” if their taxes pay for it.
Despite the legal dispute with the participation Under a $36 million contract with National Public Radio (NPR), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting faced broader funding cuts that ultimately made its operations unsustainable. NPR sued CPB after the organization suspended its contract, alleging political interference. CPB initially argued that the decision was motivated by the shift to digital innovation, but during the trial the judge told CPB's legal team that he did not find that argument credible. The case was settled in November 2025, with CPB agreeing to honor the contract.
CPB Chairman Ruby Calvert appears to have linked the organization's collapse directly to the actions of the current Republican majority in Congress. “After nearly six decades of innovative, educational public television and radio, Congress cut off all funding for CPB, leaving the Board unable to continue the organization or support the public media system that depends on it. However, even at this moment, I am confident that public media will survive, and that the new Congress will consider the role of public media in our country because it is critical to the education of our children, our history, culture and democracy.”
Despite the closure, the leaders of the CPB confirmed that the public media mission will continue through local stations and partners. “Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy,” Harrison said. “We hope that future leaders and generations will recognize its value, protect its independence, and continue to work to ensure that trustworthy, educational and community-focused media remains available to all Americans.”
