President’s Trump order seeking to cut off funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting affects about 1,500 stations around the country including many in Illinois. But it’s likely headed for the courts or for drama in Congress.
Now, public radio stations are being targeted for cuts by President Donald Trump, who this week signed an executive order aimed at slashing public subsidies to NPR and PBS, alleging “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting.
The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.
President Trump opened up a new front in his assault on public media on Monday, asserting that he was removing three of the five board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Trump administration has drafted a memo to Congress outlining its intent to end nearly all federal funding for public media, which includes NPR and PBS, according to a White House official who spoke to NPR.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher and her counterpart at PBS, Paula Kerger, appeared Wednesday before a House subcommittee on government efficiency, where they defended public broadcasting against accusations by Republican lawmakers of political bias.
PBS, NPR and their respective local stations are funded in part by a $535 million appropriation provided by Congress through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in addition to substantial foundation, corporate and viewer donation support.
NPR’s Tiny Desk contest is open through February 10th.
President Trump’s new head of the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an investigation of NPR and PBS, with an eye toward unraveling federal funding for all public broadcasting.
US Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana and Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry have already introduced bills to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
NPR is kicking off its fourth annual College Podcast Challenge. The contest gives students an opportunity to share their stories with the NPR audience and beyond, and compete for a $5,000 cash prize. The NPR Student Podcast Challenge began six years ago, with submissions open to grades 4 through 12, and more recently, opened up
The Contest is a podcast submission contest where 4th – 12th grade teachers can submit an audio file created by their student(s) for an opportunity to have the Grand Prize-winning podcasts discussed in a news segment that will appear on an episode of NPR’s All Things Considered or Morning Edition.
Illinois Soul began airing February 1, 2024 on WILL-FM 101.1 and 90.9 HD2. It streams on illinoissoul.org.
Lansing says the network is currently back in the black, stabilized in part by additional subsidies from the NPR Foundation. And he says it’s poised to prosper after making tough but necessary moves, including the job cuts and a reorganization of the network’s executive ranks.