PBS ended its weekend news broadcasts this past Sunday due to significant cuts in federal funding for public broadcasting. The network announced the conclusion of “PBS News Weekend,” its Saturday and Sunday evening newscasts, which had been on air since 2013. Anchor John Yang marked the end of the program “at least for the foreseeable future.” The weekend broadcasts initially aired from New York and relocated to Washington in 2022.
In place of the weekend newscasts, PBS is launching two new weekly programs that will air on weekends, starting the upcoming Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday edition, titled “Horizons,” will delve into science and technological matters, while the Sunday program “Compass Points” will concentrate on issues pertaining to foreign affairs. Both shows will be pre-recorded during weekdays, a strategy adopted to reduce the operational costs associated with staffing on weekends, as explained by Sara Just, senior executive producer of “NewsHour.”
According to Nielsen ratings, “PBS News Weekend” attracted an average of 827,000 viewers per broadcast, which is approximately one million fewer than the weekday “PBS NewsHour” draws. This decrease in viewership underscores the economic challenges PBS faces in maintaining weekend programming amid funding constraints.
The reduction in funding ultimately stems from a congressional decision influenced by President Donald Trump’s administration in July, which eliminated federal support for PBS and NPR. The administration criticized public broadcasting for perceived biases in its news coverage against conservative viewpoints.
The final edition of “PBS News Weekend” aired on Sunday and featured a retrospective including major weekend news events such as the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in the summer of 2024, and Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race on a Sunday a few weeks later.
When questioned about the possibility of resuming the weekend newscasts if federal support were reinstated, Sara Just indicated that while nothing is impossible, the current decision appears to be more permanent than temporary. Additionally, the funding cuts led to the closure of PBS’s Arizona bureau, which had facilitated timely updates for West Coast viewers of “NewsHour.” However, Just emphasized that these adjustments do not suggest imminent risks to the weekday broadcast, which continues to expand its audience through digital platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Both new weekly programs, “Horizons” and “Compass Points,” are designed as half-hour segments focusing each week on a single topic. William Brangham will host “Horizons,” addressing areas such as artificial intelligence, climate science, and medical research advancements. Nick Schifrin will lead “Compass Points,” concentrating on singular foreign policy issues per episode, according to PBS announcements.