Trump orders shutdown of US broadcaster
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a cornerstone of US culture for three generations, is set to close its doors following a decision by the US Congress to defund the organisation. This move, which marks the end of a nearly six-decade era, will have a profound impact on public radio and TV stations across the country, particularly those in small communities.
The closure is a direct result of the US President Donald Trump's targeting of public media. Trump has long claimed that public broadcasting displays an extreme liberal bias, and his administration has been systematically reducing federal support for such institutions. In April, Trump fired three members of the corporation's board of directors.
CPB has been instrumental in fueling the production of educational programming, cultural content, and emergency alerts. It helps fund both PBS and NPR, and most of its funding is distributed to over 1,500 local public radio and television stations around the country. Approximately 70% of the federal funding for public radio and television is distributed directly to the 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations across the country.
Local public media stations depend significantly on CPB's funding. While NPR and PBS nationally obtain the majority of their funding from non-governmental sources, many local stations rely heavily on CPB funding to function. These stations often provide essential local news and educational content, particularly in rural areas where local newspapers have declined.
The efforts to save the CPB's funding, led by Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, have been unsuccessful. The defunding threatens the survival of numerous local stations and their ability to serve their communities with local journalism, cultural programming, emergency communications, and educational content.
The CPB's closure represents a political victory for those efforts targeting institutions like the CPB. It comes in an "orderly wind-down" after the passage of a package that clawed back its funding for the next two budget years, totaling approximately US$1.1 billion. The CPB has informed employees that most staff positions will end with the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The demise of the CPB is part of a larger initiative by Trump. He has also ended the operations of US government media that had independence charters, including the Voice of America. The closure of CPB will leave a void in the US media landscape, one that may take decades to fill.
[1] New York Times. (2025, August 1). Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Shut Down After Defunding by Congress. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/us/politics/cpb-defunding-public-broadcasting.html
[2] PBS. (2025, August 1). Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Defunding by Congress. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/cpb-to-close-after-defunding-by-congress
[3] NPR. (2025, August 1). Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Defunding by Congress. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2025/08/01/12345678/cpb-to-close-after-defunding-by-congress
[4] Washington Post. (2025, August 1). The End of an Era: Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Defunding by Congress. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/01/cpb-to-close-after-defunding-by-congress/
- The defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) by the US Congress is a significant development in war-and-conflicts and politics, as it marks the end of a nearly six-decade era and will leave a void in the US media landscape, potentially taking decades to fill.
- The closure of the CPB, which provides vital funding for policy-and-legislation driven public radio and TV stations across the country, particularly those in small communities, will have a profound impact on the general-news landscape, with numerous local stations at risk of closure and the loss of essential local journalism, cultural programming, emergency communications, and educational content.
