PBS Responds to Senate Vote Cutting Pubcaster Funding

Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, has responded to the U.S. Senate voting to rescind funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), saying it “goes against the will of the American people.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has been on a campaign against public broadcasting in the country, claiming it has a liberal bias. The U.S. Senate narrowly voted in favor of Trump’s rescissions bill that claws back $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for the CPB.

Kerger said the move “goes against the will of the American people, the vast majority of whom trust PBS and believe we provide excellent value to their communities.”

Kerger continued: “These cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas. Many of our stations which provide access to free unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead.

“There is nothing more American than PBS. Despite today’s setback, we are determined to keep fighting to preserve the essential services we provide to the American public.”

The CPB said this week that a new national survey found that U.S. voters place more trust in public media than media overall and hold a more favorable opinion of public media compared with for profit media. The survey, conducted online by Peak Insights among 1,000 likely voters, found that viewers value emergency alerts (82 percent), children’s educational programming (66 percent), local programming (66 percent) and national news reporting (60 percent).

The survey also found that 53 percent of U.S. voters oppose eliminating all federal funding for public media, compared with 44 percent in support.

“Public media is a trusted, vital part of American life, available free of charge and commercial free,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the CPB. “It delivers early learning resources to families, life-saving emergency alerts to communities and trusted local and national programming to keep citizens connected and informed.”

“The path to a better, more trusted public media is only possible with continued federal support, which drives our commitment to serving the American public,” Harrison continued. “Federal funding compels CPB to continually strengthen efforts to deepen trust and fulfill the mission envisioned by Congress through the content and services provided by local stations.”