The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private nonprofit established in 1967 to distribute federal funding to public television and radio entities including PBS and NPR, has voted to dissolve itself as of Monday. This move marks a final chapter following a prolonged deconstruction phase initiated by the removal of its federal funding by Congress last summer, an action strongly encouraged by then-President Donald Trump.
The CPB board of directors chose to permanently close the organization rather than maintain it as a non-operational entity without public funding. Patricia Harrison, CPB's president and CEO, emphasized that the dissolution is intended to safeguard the public media system’s integrity and uphold democratic principles. She expressed that preserving an institution debilitated by funding cuts, and thereby susceptible to further political attacks, would be untenable.
For years, critics mainly among Republican circles have accused public broadcasting, particularly in its news coverage, of harboring a liberal bias. While such criticisms have existed for some time, it was during the second term of the Trump administration—supported by complete Republican control of Congress—that decisive legislative measures were implemented to defund CPB.
Ruby Calvert, chair of CPB's board, described the impact of the federal funding removal as devastating to public media. Despite this, Calvert remains optimistic, stating her confidence that public media will endure and that a future Congressional body may reinstate CPB's essential role. She noted the importance of public media for educational content for children, in preserving history and culture, and supporting democratic engagement.
Beyond wind-down activities, the CPB has been providing financial backing to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, an initiative focused on preserving valuable historic public media content. Additionally, CPB is collaborating with the University of Maryland to maintain its archival records, signaling efforts to preserve its legacy despite organizational closure.