It’s Time to Cut Off Public Broadcasting
NPR and PBS provide left-of-center content for left-of-center audiences. There is a business model there, but it’s not one that deserves or needs taxpayer support.
Big Bird deserves to lose this time.
In the past, whenever Republicans have tried to cut federal funding for public broadcasting, the eight-foot-two-inch-tall yellow bird has been trotted out as an exemplar of all that is good and necessary about public broadcasting, and the federal dollars have been preserved.
Perhaps our Jim Henson-created feathered friend will continue his undefeated streak, but a Trump-backed recessions bill represents the best chance to defund public broadcasting in decades, if not ever.
The bill, clawing back previously appropriated funding, has already passed the House and is now being considered in the Senate, where the filibuster doesn’t apply. The measure targets $9.4 billion in federal spending, including funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The CPB gets about $500 million a year from the federal government, and parcels it out to NPR, PBS and local public-radio and -TV stations.
NPR maintains that it only gets about 2% of its funding from the federal government, with more coming indirectly via member stations. PBS gets about 15% of its funding from the feds.
If NPR and PBS programming is as compelling and vital as its defenders say, it shouldn’t be a heavy lift to get foundations, philanthropists and devoted listeners and viewers to fill any funding gap. The organization’s already given out a lot of tote bags during fundraising drives. Surely, they can give out some more.
Decades ago, with the rise of cable TV and a proliferation of sources of news and entertainment, it seemed absurd for the government to have to prop up a few select media sources. How much more ridiculous it is now, in the age of YouTube, social media, satellite radio, Substack, streaming services and podcast platforms.
Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act creating the CPB in 1967, and like many other Great Society programs, public broadcasting is an anachronism that won’t go away. Big Bird himself is approaching the age when he’ll soon begin to be eligible for senior-citizen discounts.
Supporters of public broadcasting extol the virtues of “All Things Considered,” the “PBS NewsHour” and “Frontline,” and yes (political bias aside), journalists do some good work for these programs. They also (again, political bias aside) do some good work at The New York Times and CBS News, yet neither of these of these outlets depend on federal tax dollars.
Oh, defenders also ask, How can we possibly do without the wonder of educational programming like “Sesame Street” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”?
“Sesame Street” is, indeed, an American institution. Even if PBS collapsed tomorrow, the show would certainly go on. For about a decade now, new episodes have been featured on HBO or Netflix, demonstrating how a venerable 50-year-old project can adapt to the times.
It’s simply not true, by the way, that we depend on PBS for good shows for kids. There’s been educational programming developed by Nickelodeon (“Blue’s Clues & You!”), Scholastic Entertainment (“The Magic School Bus”) and Netflix (“Ask the StoryBots” and “Ada Twist, Scientist”). And somehow such iconic children’s programming as “Dora the Explorer,” “Peppa Pig” and “Bluey” were created without the involvement of PBS.
Then there’s the argument that a cut-off of federal funding will be devastating to local public-radio stations in rural communities. It’s true that small stations could go out of business, but as anyone who has been paying attention has noticed, we live in an era of great media churn. Private media entities are going out of business — and being created — all the time. The government shouldn’t extend its favor to a few select outlets.
Especially when these outlets are so blatantly and pervasively biased. NPR and PBS provide left-of-center content for left-of-center audiences under the guise of objectivity. As many legacy media organizations have long demonstrated, there is a business model there, but it’s not one that deserves or needs taxpayer support.
Big Bird should, finally, make his own way in the world.
© 2025 by King Features Syndicate
