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Thursday, January 08, 2026
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Formally Shuts Down
www.hollywoodreporter.com: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is formally dissolving several months after its federal funding was rescinded, but with a plea for public media to continue.
5 comments:
Maxwell Hamilton
said...
Such a headline to read. It's really entertainment that gives people hope in even the darkest of times. I would even attribute a lot of streaming service success to covid. People just needed a way to cope with the circumstances of the world, and entertainment was that outlet. It was services like CPB that provided straight forward information and entertainment, at no cost to the anyone other than the government. It effectively provided a platform to be able to create an educate without consequence. A perfect playground for everyone. Without publicly funded arts. It really is just a matter of time before industries like this die out. At the end of the day, when it comes to a public company, their goals aren't profit oriented. They want what's best for what funds them which is the people. But for private. They want what's best for what funds them as well. But that isn't the audience. It's the company.
The shut down of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a tragic and alarming reality this country is currently facing. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is responsible for funding so much of public broadcasting in rural America. These are towns that do not have the funds to otherwise support local public media. I think it is easy to forget how important public media is to rural areas. Oftentimes it is the only way residents can be warned of natural disasters, and other public safety concerns. While it sounds dramatic, the shut down of public broadcasting in rural America will most likely lead to significant increases in death during natural disasters. As the Trump administration continues to limit free speech we get a valuable glimpse into the fears and shortcomings of this administration. They know they are losing control of their constituents. They know that as people lose their health care, assistance, and safety, people will turn. We are already seeing it happening where many once fervent supporters of Trump have now denounced him due to the handlings of the Epstein files. This is a last ditch attempt to control the narrative and to therefore control their supporters but people are seeing through it.
The shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is really quite unfortunate, but not unexpected given the funding bills passed by congress last year. The Corporation has played such an important role in the world of American broadcasting, helping to fund PBS, NPR, and many other rural stations. Which then brings up the question: with the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, what happens to PBS, NPR, and those other stations? PBS has already announced cuts, and while NPR has not yet, I imagine that it will in the near future. There’s also the smaller stations the CPB helped to fund, and it’s quite possible that many of those stations could just cease to exist altogether. One thought I had was that the Trump administration is likely attacking public broadcasting in an attempt to further control the narrative, forcing viewers to other stations such as Fox. CPB and the stations it funds tend to adhere to strict reporting guidelines regarding factuality and accuracy, rather than pushing the political agenda. Their commitment to their ethics was likely their greatest strength, however it made them a target for Trump.
Access to and the ability to interact with media is something that shouldn’t be restricted. The CBP has stood for a long time bringing information and joy to everyone making sure that people can stay informed on the world around them. I hope that the positive view the company is looking to the future with isn’t unfounded. It is important to stay positive in the face of struggles but public media has definitely taken a hit with the loss of CPB. CPB has provided news, and educational content to the public since 1967 and it is a shame that it will no longer continue to do so. I think that the most important thing to take with us into the future is the importance of publicly available educational and historical content. One of the most important things for the improvement of the world is the spread of information and knowledge and education of the people. Without an educated populace the people will follow whatever they are told more convincingly and that doesn’t always mean that they will be told the truth. The common access of communication of facts through a reliable source is one thing this world and country needs the most.
“Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy.” This is terrifying to need to be addressed. It amazes me that not everyone I know is a little more scared right now. The idea of cutting all funds to, and then completely shutting down CPB is an incredibly classist way to try to further polarize media and divide the working class. This is blatant, a control tactic. I mean this should be no surprise to anyone, after asserting that the anti-fascists are terrorists that states what you are. I will never forget my freshman year of highschool, my geography had everyone buy this little book that was basically like, twelve steps to authoritarian takeover and every day when I learn a fact, and check it twice, and I think about maybe we’ve gone a page further in his book. As artists we need to push back, and enact fear in those holding power. More than anything, the creation and experiencing of art builds community and education- that terrifies our current leadership. Stupid people who hate each other are the easiest to control, hence losing access to free, trustable, sources; immediately took anyone who relies on that media for trustable information and turned trusted sources into a commodity. Of course it’s a step away from democracy, that isn’t the goal.
5 comments:
Such a headline to read. It's really entertainment that gives people hope in even the darkest of times. I would even attribute a lot of streaming service success to covid. People just needed a way to cope with the circumstances of the world, and entertainment was that outlet. It was services like CPB that provided straight forward information and entertainment, at no cost to the anyone other than the government. It effectively provided a platform to be able to create an educate without consequence. A perfect playground for everyone. Without publicly funded arts. It really is just a matter of time before industries like this die out. At the end of the day, when it comes to a public company, their goals aren't profit oriented. They want what's best for what funds them which is the people. But for private. They want what's best for what funds them as well. But that isn't the audience. It's the company.
The shut down of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a tragic and alarming reality this country is currently facing. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is responsible for funding so much of public broadcasting in rural America. These are towns that do not have the funds to otherwise support local public media. I think it is easy to forget how important public media is to rural areas. Oftentimes it is the only way residents can be warned of natural disasters, and other public safety concerns. While it sounds dramatic, the shut down of public broadcasting in rural America will most likely lead to significant increases in death during natural disasters. As the Trump administration continues to limit free speech we get a valuable glimpse into the fears and shortcomings of this administration. They know they are losing control of their constituents. They know that as people lose their health care, assistance, and safety, people will turn. We are already seeing it happening where many once fervent supporters of Trump have now denounced him due to the handlings of the Epstein files. This is a last ditch attempt to control the narrative and to therefore control their supporters but people are seeing through it.
The shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is really quite unfortunate, but not unexpected given the funding bills passed by congress last year. The Corporation has played such an important role in the world of American broadcasting, helping to fund PBS, NPR, and many other rural stations. Which then brings up the question: with the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, what happens to PBS, NPR, and those other stations? PBS has already announced cuts, and while NPR has not yet, I imagine that it will in the near future. There’s also the smaller stations the CPB helped to fund, and it’s quite possible that many of those stations could just cease to exist altogether. One thought I had was that the Trump administration is likely attacking public broadcasting in an attempt to further control the narrative, forcing viewers to other stations such as Fox. CPB and the stations it funds tend to adhere to strict reporting guidelines regarding factuality and accuracy, rather than pushing the political agenda. Their commitment to their ethics was likely their greatest strength, however it made them a target for Trump.
Access to and the ability to interact with media is something that shouldn’t be restricted. The CBP has stood for a long time bringing information and joy to everyone making sure that people can stay informed on the world around them. I hope that the positive view the company is looking to the future with isn’t unfounded. It is important to stay positive in the face of struggles but public media has definitely taken a hit with the loss of CPB. CPB has provided news, and educational content to the public since 1967 and it is a shame that it will no longer continue to do so. I think that the most important thing to take with us into the future is the importance of publicly available educational and historical content. One of the most important things for the improvement of the world is the spread of information and knowledge and education of the people. Without an educated populace the people will follow whatever they are told more convincingly and that doesn’t always mean that they will be told the truth. The common access of communication of facts through a reliable source is one thing this world and country needs the most.
“Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy.” This is terrifying to need to be addressed. It amazes me that not everyone I know is a little more scared right now. The idea of cutting all funds to, and then completely shutting down CPB is an incredibly classist way to try to further polarize media and divide the working class. This is blatant, a control tactic. I mean this should be no surprise to anyone, after asserting that the anti-fascists are terrorists that states what you are. I will never forget my freshman year of highschool, my geography had everyone buy this little book that was basically like, twelve steps to authoritarian takeover and every day when I learn a fact, and check it twice, and I think about maybe we’ve gone a page further in his book. As artists we need to push back, and enact fear in those holding power. More than anything, the creation and experiencing of art builds community and education- that terrifies our current leadership. Stupid people who hate each other are the easiest to control, hence losing access to free, trustable, sources; immediately took anyone who relies on that media for trustable information and turned trusted sources into a commodity. Of course it’s a step away from democracy, that isn’t the goal.
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