Under attack, public media makes its case to Congress and the courts
Source: NPR
May 15, 2025 5:00 AM ET
Public broadcasting officials from across the country plan to descend on Capitol Hill today in hopes of convincing lawmakers to preserve their federal funding despite pressure from President Trump and his allies. Money from the federal government accounts for fully half the annual budgets of some local public television and radio stations.
The lobbying effort follows a multipronged attack from the Trump administration on the finances and independence of public media, with a particular focus on PBS and NPR, the predominant national public television and radio networks, respectively. The White House has called NPR and PBS programming "radical propaganda" and characterized federal spending on public media as a waste of taxpayer dollars.
The vast majority of that money goes to local public broadcasting stations rather than the national networks. "I'm extremely worried about it," said Dina Polkinghorne, the interim co-general manager of a station in rural Philo, Calif., speaking on the public affairs show Forum on KQED. "I've never seen community radio in such a perilous situation."
Roughly 190 officials from local stations across the country flew to NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. this week to strategize and impress upon lawmakers the services they provide – and the loyalty of their audiences (who often prove to be engaged voters). Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, has already announced her support.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/15/nx-s1-5397965/cpb-trump-lawsuit-court-pbs-npr-public-broadcasting
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