Public broadcasting in the United States

Public broadcasting in the United States is mostly run by local groups instead of the government. Sometimes, it gets help from the government. This means stations and programs are organized in different ways across the country.

One important part of public broadcasting are stations like PBS, which shows educational shows for children and adults, and NPR, which provides news and cultural programs. These services aim to offer information and entertainment that is helpful to many people.

In July 2025, Congress decided to stop all federal funding for public broadcasting. This means that PBS and NPR, along with other public broadcasting services, would no longer receive money directly from the government. This change affected how these stations planned their future programs and services.

Public broadcasting still continues, but it must find new ways to support itself without the same level of government help it used to have.

Background

In the United States, public broadcasting works a little differently than in other countries. The main broadcasters are the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). They are not connected to each other. They get money from many places, including local communities, special events called pledge drives, and short ads from sponsors.

The U.S. government helped support public broadcasting through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), but this support ended in July 2025. Stations often make their own shows and also buy shows from big companies like NPR, PBS, American Public Television, American Public Media, and Public Radio Exchange.

Some politicians have said that public broadcasting shows content that favors one side. There have been attempts to stop funding it, but many people still support it. They like it because it offers educational shows and arts programs, especially in areas far from cities where there are not many other options. Studies show that without government help, many stations, especially in rural areas, might not be able to keep running.

History

Early history

Early public broadcasting stations were often run by colleges and universities. They were funded by the schools themselves and sometimes accepted advertisements. Networks like Iowa Public Radio, South Dakota Public Radio, and Wisconsin Public Radio started this way.

In 1925, a group called the Association of College and University Broadcasting Stations was formed, later renamed the National Association of Educational Broadcasters. Over time, commercial broadcasting took up most of the available radio frequencies.

The idea of a "non-commercial, educational" station became part of U.S. law in 1941 when the FM band was allowed to start regular broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission set aside certain frequencies for these educational stations.

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, helped create the current public broadcasting system in the U.S. This law established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private group that helps public broadcasters create diverse programs and provides funding to local stations. The CPB gets money from the federal government and also from public and private donations.

Cancellation of funding by Donald Trump

In 2025, under President Donald Trump, Congress stopped all federal funding for public broadcasting.

In early 2026, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would dissolve after losing funding.

Radio

The first public radio network in the United States started in 1949 in Berkeley, California as station KPFA. It became the main station for a national network called Pacifica Radio. This network did not accept money from companies. It relied on support from listeners. KPFA even gave away free FM radios to get more listeners.

Another big public radio network, National Public Radio (NPR), began in February 1970. It is often thought of as all of public radio, but there are many other groups too. Some local public radio stations get their shows from places like NPR, Public Radio International, and others. These stations also create their own local shows. Public radio stations usually play news, talk, music, and cultural programs. Some bigger stations have separate shows for different types of music, like classical music or jazz.

Local public radio stations get money from listeners during special fundraising events, from some companies, and sometimes from governments and schools. They also use free airtime given to them for their broadcasts. NPR makes its own shows and also gets money from private donors and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Television

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is the main public television provider in the United States. It started in October 1970, taking over from National Educational Television (NET). NET closed because it needed more money.

PBS works with many television stations across the country. These stations get support from state and federal governments, and from viewers who help during special events. Some stations are run by schools, colleges, and nonprofit groups, while others are managed by state or local governments.

PBS does not make most of the shows it broadcasts. Instead, stations and outside producers create the programs. PBS shares these programs with its member stations. Most public television stations are part of PBS, and they decide when to air the shows. They often show children's programs in the mornings and on weekend mornings. PBS also has special networks like PBS Kids for children’s programming and PBS HD for high-definition content.

Many communities also have public-access television channels on local cable systems, supported by cable fees and sometimes viewer donations.