The president doesn’t want the federal government to help fund public radio and TV stations anymore. Such cuts could exacerbate the already sharp decline in coverage of state capitols and city halls.
By J. Brian Charles | Governing
(Editor’s note: PBS outlets in Phoenix, such as KJZZ and KAET-TV, are relatively well followed.)
When President Trump released his budget in February, he vowed to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), telling the country’s vast network of publicly funded radio and television stations that they would be better off entering the commercial market.
Public broadcasters, especially those in rural areas and smaller markets, say that would be akin to putting them out of business. And if that happens, it could exacerbate the already sharp decline of state and local government news coverage across the country.
In response to Trump’s proposal, public broadcasters converged on Washington, telling members of Congress that defunding the CPB would effectively end public radio and TV in many markets across the country.
