US Public Broadcasting Faces Closure as Corporation for Public Broadcasting Votes to Dissolve

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private agency responsible for channeling federal funds to PBS, NPR, and hundreds of public television and radio stations across the United States, has voted to dissolve itself, according to Customreceipt. Established in 1967, CPB has been instrumental in supporting public media for over five decades, but its operations have been effectively halted since Congress moved to defund the organization last summer, following encouragement from former President Donald Trump.

The decision to close CPB entirely, rather than maintain a dormant organizational shell, was reached by its board of directors on Monday. Patricia Harrison, CPB’s president and chief executive officer, stated that the organization’s “final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks.”

CPB has faced increasing political pressure over the years, particularly from Republican lawmakers who have long criticized public broadcasting for perceived liberal bias in its news coverage. However, it was during Trump’s second term, when the Republican Party held full control of Congress, that these critiques translated into decisive action to defund the agency.

Ruby Calvert, chair of CPB’s board of directors, described the federal funding cuts as a severe blow to the organization. “Even at this moment, I am convinced that public media will survive, and that a new Congress will address public media’s role in our country because it is critical to our children’s education, our history, culture and democracy to do so,” Calvert said.

Despite the closure, CPB confirmed it is continuing to provide financial support to the American Archive of Public Broadcasting to preserve historic media content and is collaborating with the University of Maryland to maintain CPB’s own archival records. The organization emphasized that these efforts aim to safeguard the legacy of public media even after its formal operations end.

Earlier we wrote about Tax Filing 2026: Key Dates and Preparation Tips for U.S. Taxpayers.