The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private entity established by Congress in 1967 to manage federal investment in public media, will close its doors for good.
The organization announced Monday that its Board of Directors voted to dissolve the corporation after 58 years. The move serves as a direct response to Congress rescinding all federal funding for the organization, a decision CPB leadership says has made their continued operation impossible.
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According to a statement released by the board, the decision to dissolve rather than remain open as a defunded entity is an act of “responsible stewardship.” Leadership expressed concern that maintaining a dormant CPB could leave the structure vulnerable to political manipulation or misuse by bad-faith actors in the future.
“When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “CPB’s final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.”
The CPB was created under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. For nearly six decades, it functioned as the financial steward for a network of more than 1,500 locally owned public television and radio stations. The organization’s funding helped seed educational touchstones like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street, while also supporting emergency alert infrastructure and local journalism.
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Ruby Calvert, Chair of the CPB Board, described the defunding as “devastating” but expressed hope for the resilience of the broader system.
“Congress eliminated all funding for CPB, leaving the Board with no way to continue the organization,” Calvert said. “Yet, even in this moment, I am convinced that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address public media’s role in our country.”
While the central corporation is shutting down, the independent local stations, producers, and journalists that make up the public media landscape will continue operations, though they face a new and uncertain financial reality without the federal firewall CPB provided.
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As part of the dissolution process, the CPB plans to distribute all remaining funds in accordance with congressional intent. To ensure the organization’s history is not lost, its archives will be preserved through a partnership with the University of Maryland, and support will be provided to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting to continue digitizing historic content.
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