The Fiscal Impact and Cultural Shift on a Rural North Carolina Native Due to Trump's Funding Reduction for NPR and PBS.
On May 1, the infamous President Trump signed an executive decree stripping federal funding for NPR and PBS. This decree specifically orders the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to "abort financing" to NPR and PBS. The President claims this action is in line with his administration's policy aiming to "motte Federal funds from sponsoring partisan and biased news coverage." Additionally, the President has directed the CPB Board to reject future funding and to ensure that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as other CPB recipients, don't use Federal funds for NPR and PBS.
This was no shocker – it followed Trump's March demand on Truth Social to halt funding for public broadcasting. At the time, he blasted: "NPR and PBS, two loathsome and completely biased platforms (Networks!), oughta be DEFUNDED by Congress, IMMEDIATELY. Republicans, don't squander this opportunity to excise our Nation of this monstrous SCAM, both being arms of the Radical Left Democratic Party. JUST SAY NO AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
As a tax lawyer working as a senior writer for Forbes and residing in a bustling urban area, I've got no qualms about expressing my feelings on this topic.
You see, I was a PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) kid. My conservative family, based in rural North Carolina, considered ourselves an NPR (National Public Radio) family. And let me tell you, I won't mince words on this issue. That's exactly why I'm penning this piece.
About PBS and NPR
PBS is a not-for-profit public broadcasting television network that came into existence in 1969. It is not just a solitary entity but is made up of member stations – there are well over 330 of those in the U.S. today. Those member stations can produce their own content or air programs produced by others. Certain programs are standard across the network, which is why we tend to associate PBS with specific shows. For instance, you likely know PBS from shows like "NewsHour" and "Masterpiece" (the series that schooled the U.S. on "Downton Abbey").
The original mission of PBS was to distribute programming, particularly to those in rural areas and those who couldn't afford to pay for private television channels. I hail from one of those households that leaned on PBS. Growing up in rural North Carolina, resources were in short supply – we didn't even have a library in my town during my childhood years. Television service was unreliable, and if you wanted additional stations, it could be costly; however, we enjoyed PBS for free. We could generally watch ABC and NBC and, if the weather was favorable and if my brother manipulated the antenna in a certain way, we could occasionally tune into CBS. But PBS was essential for folks like us in my town, watching television, especially educational programs and news.
Today, PBS claims that 58% of all U.S. television households (more than 130 million individuals) tune into PBS member stations. Notably, 60% of the audience continues to reside in rural communities. In rural, Native American, and island communities, public broadcasting stations are often the only locally owned and operated media outlets, and they are a major source of news (you may recall I was once in Alaska for tax preparation purposes, and our arrival was broadcast on public radio, the primary news source in the villages).
NPR was set up a year later, in 1970, with 88 original member stations representing non-commercial, educational, and community radio stations across the country. Today, approximately 99% of the U.S. population is within the broadcast listening area of at least one or more public radio stations.
Growing Up With PBS and NPR
When I attest to being a PBS kid, I really mean it. During my kindergarten days, I would evade my nap mat to watch "Sesame Street" with the other class (we traded off because we didn't have enough mats for both). As I grew older, I progressed to reruns of shows like "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," "Electric Company," and "3-2-1 Contact." On sick days, I'd daydream about becoming a celebrated artist while watching "The Joy of Painting" or ponder the mysteries of time travel, like Doctor Who (although PBS didn't formally carry "Doctor Who," many affiliates decided to air episodes).
Parent-child bonding times were always spent watching television too. We'd listen to NPR as a family while driving. I grew up hearing episodes of "All Things Considered," "Car Talk," and "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." I'd often drift off to sleep while listening to "A Prairie Home Companion."
The thing is, it wasn't considered liberal or "woke" programming. To the contrary, my conservative parents preferred this programming to "regular" network and radio programming because they thought it was more age and family-friendly. That perception hasn't changed – today, PBS reports that nearly two-thirds of its audience identify as Republican or Independent (63%).
Opposition to Funding
That doesn't imply there haven't been opponents – challenges to funding for PBS and NPR aren't new. On May 1, 1969, Fred Rogers, formerly of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," testified before the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications to defend the $20 million in federal funding proposed for the then-newly formed non-profit Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Fred Rogers was able to win over the subcommittee chairman, Senator John O. Pastore (D-RI) over a roughly 10-minute period. In his now-legendary testimony, Rogers stated, "I express feelings of care for every child, to help them realize they are unique. I close the program by saying, 'You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you, just the way you are.' And I truly believe that if we in public television can only make it clear that emotions are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health."
By the end of the testimony, Pastore declared, "I think it's wonderful. I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the 20 million dollars."
In later years, funding became a hot topic once again, this time during the 2012 Republican presidential debate. When asked about budget cuts to reduce the deficit, then-GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney declared, "I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to cease other things. I enjoy PBS, I love Big Bird... But, I'm not going to continue to spend money on things to borrow money from China to pay for. That's number one."
(The team of Romney and Paul Ryan went on to secure the Republican nomination but lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the presidential election.)
And while Romney referred to the subsidy in the debates as if taxpayers were bankrolling Big Bird, that's not the whole story.
Funding
PBS isn't primarily funded through federal tax dollars – barely 15% of its budget comes from the federal government. It's principally financed by viewers like you. Almost 60% of funding for public television comes from private donors or grants. Dues paid by member stations provide additional funding.
(NPR gets around 1% of its budget from Congress.)
The federal funding that Romney talked about in the debates made it seem like taxpayers were fully covering the expenses of Sesame Street and its counterparts. That's not the case.
What Comes Next
The CPB, PBS, and NPR are all investigating their options – a lawsuit might be in the works to halt defunding. PBS CEO Paula Kerger has hinted at the executive order as "flagrantly illegal," adding, "We are currently researching all options that will enable PBS to continue serving our member stations and all Americans." NPR's president and CEO Katherine Maher echoed those sentiments, stating: "We will challenge this executive order using every means at our disposal."
With budget cuts, public television and radio stations would need to discover alternate sources of funding. Larger markets, like the one I live in now, might survive by relying on donors. However, smaller markets, like the one I used to reside in, may be forced to shut down operations. That's a bit of irony, isn't it? Since these smaller markets were specifically the ones that PBS aimed to serve when it was created.
- The infamous President Trump has hinted at a potential legal challenge from PBS and NPR in response to his executive decree defunding them, as PBS CEO Paula Kerger has described the order as "flagrantly illegal."
- Funding for PBS and NPR is not primarily derived from federal tax dollars, with private donors and grants accounting for nearly 60% and 1% of their budgets, respectively.
- As a tax lawyer and a self-proclaimed PBS kid who grew up in a rural area where PBS was essential for television and educational programming, I find the prospect of defunding these services concerning.
- The yet-to-be-implemented policy could potentially lead to closures of public television and radio stations in smaller markets, which may have initially been the core audience for these services.
