PBS Slashes Budget By 21% Following Loss Of Federal Funding

The New York Times has reported that PBS has approved a 21% cut to its current budget after Congress voted to eliminate roughly $500 million in federal support for public television and radio, a decision that resulted in the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

PBS’s board also voted to reduce member-station dues by $35 million, acknowledging that local stations are under intense pressure to cover their own shortfalls. “Even with the dues reduction, adjusted payment schedule and efforts to raise funds for initial financial stabilization, we all face hard choices about the future,” PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger told station managers in an email.

The cuts disproportionately affect PBS, which has historically relied more heavily than NPR on CPB dollars and on federal Department of Education funding for children’s content. In May, the Department of Education terminated the Ready To Learn grant (about $23 million annually), a three-decade program that helped underwrite PBS KIDS series and station-run learning initiatives nationwide.

CPB says most of its staff positions end September 30, 2025, with a small transition team remaining through January 2026 to handle closeout tasks such as compliance and music-rights obligations. The last of the federal money is expected to run out in October, underscoring a tight timeline for public-media organizations to find replacement funding.

NPR, meanwhile, announced about $8 million in reductions to support vulnerable member stations as they brace for the loss of CPB pass-through funds. Analysts warn that, while PBS and NPR will continue to operate in some form, local stations, especially smaller, rural outlets, face acute risk of layoffs, service reductions, or even going dark without sustained philanthropic and state support.