Overview

• The Senate and House approved the rescissions on July 18, eliminating $1.1 billion in CPB funding as part of a broader $9 billion spending cut package
• More than 1,500 independent stations that depended on over 70 percent of CPB grants now face layoffs, scaled-back programming or full shutdowns
• NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS President Paula Kerger warned the funding loss will create gaps in emergency alerts and universal service in hard-to-reach rural areas
• Broadcasters are seeking emergency fundraising, governance overhauls and legal action to challenge the rescission and avert station closures
• Peer-reviewed studies and recent national polls report high audience trust in public media and find no systematic liberal bias in NPR and PBS reporting