August 3, 2025.
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescission package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill, which excludes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades.
For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country. Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
CPB informed its employees today that the majority of staff positions will conclude with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. A small transition team will remain through January 2026 to ensure a responsible and orderly closeout of operations. This team will focus on compliance, final distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations, including ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system.
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” Harrison said. “We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.”
CPB’s Board of Directors and management are working closely to address the legal, financial, and operational requirements of the closure. CPB will provide regular updates and guidance to stations and producers navigating the profound challenges ahead.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, was the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helped support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related online services.
Senator Mike Rounds, R-S.D., secured a deal from the White House that some money administered by the Interior Department would be repurposed to subsidize Native American public radio stations in about a dozen states. Senator Rounds worked with the Trump administration to find unused climate change money that will be reallocated to continue grants to tribal radio stations. He secured $9.4 million to make certain the dozens of tribal radio stations receiving CPB community service grants across 11 states can continue operating without interruption.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) has provided funding to 35 tribal radio stations across 11 states, according to a spokesperson from a senator's office. The DOI funding matches the amount these stations received from Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Community Service Grants (CSGs) in fiscal year 2025. The average amount each tribal radio station received was approximately $245,000, with KYUK in Bethel, Alaska, a joint TV and radio station, receiving $812,000. Four of these stations are located in South Dakota.
