PBS Is Defunded…Now What?
I made a decision in 1997 that I thought was the best for my mission in life. I was at a food and wine event with chefs, many of whom were already legends, like Julia Child and Jacques Pepin and some who would go on to become luminaries on the then very new Food Network.
I chose to produce ‘Christina Cooks’ for public television for a list that is far too long to post here. But suffice it to say, that control and ownership of my intellectual property and control over what I spoke about were key points in my decision.
I have never once regretted my choice. Public television has created the world’s largest classroom for me. It has allowed me to help educate people on making the best choices for themselves and their loved ones.
I never thought I would have to write about it being defunded by a cynical government that prefers its people to be ignorant, rather than educated.
So what does this defunding mean? For me? For public television and for viewers? I’ll tell you.
Let’s start with CPB. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting helped create PBS and has funded it, in part, for decades. It does not own PBS, however. Together, they have brought us iconic series like Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Finding Your Roots, Reading Rainbow, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and other seminal programming, including in the news space with programs like PBS News Hour.
The defunding of PBS means the end of direct and indirect federal funding, primarily from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This could lead to significant consequences, particularly for small, rural stations which rely on public television for local news, weather and emergency alerts, etc. The potential loss of local programming and journalism, the closure of smaller stations will result in creating news ‘deserts’ where entire populations have no access to real local news.
How PBS is funded
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
A non-profit organization created by Congress (ironically) that distributes federal funds to public media…to inform…the public!
Federal Funding
While PBS itself receives some federal funds, the majority of money from the CPB goes to local public television and radio stations across the country, usually in rural areas without a lot of access to broadcast news.
Indirect Funding
The federal government also provides funds indirectly to public media, with local stations using CPB funds for their operations, including the production and acquisition of national and local programming.
Public Television is not going away
What’s important to note here is that national public television has not and will not be disappearing. We will all work harder to ensure that adequate funding continues to flow into stations and programs so that the network we all love…and many of us grew up watching, remains available to as many people as possible.
We will see some changes, like small stations being folded into larger ones so they can remain operational (but may lose some local content as a result; again, a loss of local news for rural areas).
Now public television, which has served the public for so long, will rely more heavily on the generosity of donors, sponsors and foundations who support their work to ensure that most people see no interruption in this beloved service.
What can we all do? How can we help?
You can support your local public television station at whatever level works for you.
You can also support the work we do, donating so that we can continue to produce programming that helps people to make healthier choices.
It’s time that public television is exactly that…for the public and by the public.
Click here to donate to keep Christina cooking on national public television
