The final disbanding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced this week leaves a number of questions unanswered about the future of public media – including WAER Syracuse Public Media.
Newhouse Communications professor Joel Kaplan was not surprised … but calls it a huge loss.
“Let's be honest, from the moment that CPB was created back in, I think, the late 60s, it's kind of been under attack, right?… And it never went anywhere because the local congressional representatives knew that public broadcasting in many places was the only news that their constituents were receiving,” said Kaplan.
In recent years, that opposition grew, resulting in last year’s cancellation of all public media funding in the federal budget, and the recission of previously approved funding.
CPB’s role was to distribute that funding – independent of politics – to local stations, programming services and to fund digital distribution and other public benefits.
This mission included achieving universal service in public media – the ability for all Americans, whether in rural communities or major cities, to access non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services. CPB also supported public media programs and services that informed, educated, and enriched the public with a focus on content that addressed the needs of underserved audiences, especially children and minorities. CPB also invested in digital platforms and the distribution infrastructure that delivered public media content and emergency alerts to local stations.
(source: CPB disbanding letter)
Kaplan served as CPB’s ombudsman for several years. He says the loss of C-P-B itself is not as concerning as the loss of what it supported.
"There's just so whole swaths of this country that have no local media. So no one's covering, city hall, county government, school boards, and public media really in many parts of the country has stepped up … and really has done a yeoman's job of trying to fill those deserts,” explained Kaplan.
In a letter from the CPB Board Chair Ruby Calvert and CEO Patricia Harrison, they emphasized the law that create it still exists, which could pave the way for a future public broadcasting model.
While Congress has chosen to eliminate appropriations for CPB, the legislative foundation that recognizes the value and necessity of public broadcasting remains intact. The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 itself remains the law of the land. This Act established the fundamental principles and legal framework for public broadcasting in America. This means the statutory mandate for a strong, independent public broadcasting system persists, even as the mechanism for federal funding has been removed. The principles enshrined in the Act—editorial independence, localism, universal service, educational mission, and service to underserved communities—remain as vital guideposts for the future of public media
(see full letter below)
Kaplan agrees that congress could appropriate money for local news coverage, rural media access and other public benefits. But he admits, at this point in time, it’s a much lower priority than the economy, housing, health care, and other national concerns.
Harrison and Calvert explained how this decision made sense.
A dormant CPB would have remained vulnerable to continued political attacks, manipulation, and potential misuse in ways that could undermine our independence, the mission and principles of the Public Broadcasting Act, and the public media system we have all worked to build. Dormancy would also have required spending resources to sustain CPB operations—funds that could instead go to the system that is reeling from the loss of federal funds.
FULL LETTER FROM CPB BOARD CHAIR AND CEO.
It has been our great honor to serve as the CEO and as the Board Chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. From our perspectives, we have witnessed firsthand the important role public media plays locally and nationally in keeping our democracy strong.
The Public Broadcasting Act created CPB as an independent entity to steward the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. This mission included achieving universal service in public media – the ability for all Americans, whether in rural communities or major cities, to access non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services. CPB also supported public media programs and services that informed, educated, and enriched the public with a focus on content that addressed the needs of underserved audiences, especially children and minorities. CPB also invested in digital platforms and the distribution infrastructure that delivered public media content and emergency alerts to local stations—ensuring that communities everywhere could rely on public media both in daily life and in moments of crisis.
For decades, you have been the heart of public media. You have given voice to local stories that would otherwise go untold. You have provided children with educational programming that transforms lives. You have built trust through rigorous, fact-based journalism. You have connected neighbors to one another and strengthened civic participation.
Elections matter. The current administration entered office with a governing blueprint that continues to guide its actions, which included urging Congress to eliminate all federal appropriations for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Over the past year, CPB has faced sustained political and legal attacks from the Administration, including efforts to terminate the CPB Board and undermine the Corporation’s statutory independence; the cancellation of the Ready To Learn program; presidential executive orders attempting to direct CPB’s operations; repeated interference with and freezing of the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant program; and, ultimately, Congress’s catastrophic decision to advance the Administration’s objective by rescinding $1.1 billion in already-appropriated federal funding for CPB and public media through the Rescissions Act of 2025.
We faced a choice between remaining dormant or shutting down operations. A dormant CPB would have remained vulnerable to continued political attacks, manipulation, and potential misuse in ways that could undermine our independence, the mission and principles of the Public Broadcasting Act, and the public media system we have all worked to build. Dormancy would also have required spending resources to sustain CPB operations—funds that could instead go to the system that is reeling from the loss of federal funds.
After extensive deliberation, legal counsel, and input from public media leaders past and present, the Board decided to dissolve. This decision was made to protect you, your stations, and the integrity of public media—not to preserve our jobs or CPB itself at any cost.
While Congress has chosen to eliminate appropriations for CPB, the legislative foundation that recognizes the value and necessity of public broadcasting remains intact. The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 itself remains the law of the land. This Act established the fundamental principles and legal framework for public broadcasting in America. This means the statutory mandate for a strong, independent public broadcasting system persists, even as the mechanism for federal funding has been removed. The principles enshrined in the Act—editorial independence, localism, universal service, educational mission, and service to underserved communities—remain as vital guideposts for the future of public media.
We are well aware about the profound challenge to public media due to the loss of CPB and federal funding. Many of you rely on CPB grants for critical operations, infrastructure, journalism and programming, and educational initiatives. Through our funding, CPB has always sought to augment the impact of the services that you provide to your communities.
As CPB has been winding down operations, we have taken every possible step to support stations during this transition. Our final grants have focused on sustaining public media programming and services as effectively as possible. As one of our last grant actions, CPB will provide support to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting to continue digitizing and preserving content that documents our collective contributions to American society and culture.
That work continues, and it matters now more than ever.
The road forward will require resilience, innovation, and new approaches to sustaining your mission. We know that you and your teams have always risen to meet challenges, and we have confidence in your leadership.
The public media system will endure because of your dedication and the unwavering support of your communities. While CPB’s chapter is ending, the mission we have shared must live on through your continued service.
We are profoundly grateful for your partnership over the years. You have inspired us with your commitment to serving communities that too often go underserved. Your integrity and resilience have made public media one of the most trusted institutions in American life.
Thank you for everything you do to serve your communities.
With deep respect and gratitude,
Patricia Harrison
President and CEO
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Ruby Calvert
Chair of the Board
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
