PBS slashes budget 21% after Congress strips $500M in public broadcasting funds

PBS is cutting its budget by 21% following Congress’s decision to eliminate roughly $500 million in federal funding from public television and radio. The move, first reported by The New York Times, comes from a memo sent by PBS CEO Paula Kerger to station managers on Wednesday and marks one of the largest spending reductions yet in the wake of the congressional vote.

Budget cut by more than a fifth

The PBS board approved the cuts while also voting in favor of lowering dues paid by local stations by $35 million. That means the corporation will now collect less revenue from its members, many of whom are facing their own financial strain.

“We recognize that even with the dues reduction, adjusted payment schedule and efforts to raise funds for initial stabilization, we all face hard choices about the future,” Kerger wrote.

PBS more severely impacted than NPR

Congress’s funding cuts have also impacted NPR, which has been forced to eliminate around $8 million from its budget. But PBS is feeling a greater impact because it traditionally relies on more funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is shutting down entirely as a result of the loss of federal funding.

PBS is also losing $23 million in funding from the Department of Education for children’s programming, another casualty of federal cuts.

What the future holds

While it’s unclear what the elimination of funding may mean for the future of PBS programming, some media analysts say it will likely lead to layoffs.

“One likely impact will be staff reductions,” Alex Curley, a public media analyst, told the Times. “PBS hasn’t gone through substantial layoffs since 2020, unlike NPR. It’s hard to imagine they’ll be able to avoid them with a budget reduction this large.”

While PBS and NPR will continue operating, the Times reports many smaller public TV and radio stations across the country could be forced to shut down entirely.