The Patriot Post® · Surprise — NPR and PBS Still Exist

Six months have passed since Congress cut off millions in taxpayer funding for NPR and PBS. And in what should come as no surprise, the “apocalyptic” scenario of the closure of hundreds of NPR and PBS-affiliated stations across the country has failed to materialize.

It would appear that the dire warnings that millions of rural Americans would lose access to “essential” news services via public radio and TV stations were little more than a Chicken Little tale.

Thus far, a grand total of one affiliate station has shuttered, though another may close sometime this year. With more than 1,000 NPR and PBS affiliates nationwide, that’s hardly even news, let alone “apocalyptic.”

Admittedly, the news that the Leftmedia outlets NPR and PBS are humming along just fine despite having over $500 million in taxpayer funding cut off is a bit disappointing, given the glut of Leftmedia organizations that already dominate much of the marketplace.

However, this reality exposed that, for all their whining and complaining about losing their sustenance, the vast majority of NPR and PBS funding came from donors and sponsors.

Have Americans been deprived of NPR and PBS broadcasts? Unfortunately, the leftist propaganda programming, such as “All Things Considered,” is still being pumped out across the radio waves around the country. But the good news is, American taxpayers’ dollars aren’t paying for it.

Furthermore, this reality exposed the dubious “analytical journalism” of Leftmedia outlets like The New York Times, which warned before Congress cut funding for public broadcasting that some 245 stations in rural America would be forced to close within the first quarter of the cut. Here we are three quarters later with only one station closed.

It’s as if the warning was just a political scare tactic to justify wasting more of Americans’ hard-earned dollars on the Democrats’ propaganda machine.

There is also another lesson here: capitalism works.

Faced with the prospect of losing revenue, NPR and PBS didn’t simply sit around, implode, and disappear; they actually got to work, seeking additional funding. Of course, it was with the expected left-wing flair. NPR ridiculously marketed this taxpayer funding cut as an effort to silence it, posting on social media, “WE WON’T BE SILENCED.”

NPR host Scott Simon reassured his audience, “This is the first day since NPR was founded it has not had federal support. And we’re here, strong, vital, and with an audience of millions we will keep on serving, no fees, no paywalls, and across all divisions. We hope you’ll support your local stations to serve all America.”

You know, the vast majority of media outlets, like our humble little shop here at The Patriot Post, can note that we have never taken taxpayer funding — unlike NPR and PBS. We have always relied on our readers to support us, as we have diligently sought to earn your trust by providing honest analysis of the news from a constitutionally conservative perspective.

Now that NPR and PBS are in essentially the same boat, let them sink or swim without any government handouts. Finally, where can American taxpayers go to get their refund, given that NPR and PBS never needed their tax dollars in the first place?