PBS and NPR’s Breaking Point

The U.S federal government’s recent approval request has cut the funding of broadcasting networks such as the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) and the National Public Radio (NPR), leaving them at a monetary loss. They believe that funding these stations wastes people’s tax dollars, but it is also corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence. It instructs the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cut nine billion worth of funding to both stations, putting memorable shows such as “Super Why”, “Sesame Street”, “Odd Squad”, “The Magic School Bus” and many others at a high risk of cancellation on local television (TV). 

 TV broadcasting has faced a drastic decline in viewership since streaming and social media skyrocketed in 2020, specifically due to Covid-19 and the lockdown leaving everyone with limited activities. Services such as Netflix, Hulu and Spotify have dominated entertainment for five years, a lifetime, in the entertainment world. As more popular shows and movies are added to streaming services, they become more appealing to watch, not just at home, but on the road thanks to these apps being accessible on phones. Streaming services may not be the only reason for the decrease in cable programs. 

“I think it’s definitely a factor, but there can never be too many points of views in media” suggests junior Collette Starratt. 

She isn’t wrong, other factors like ads or the cost of cable also play a huge role in its overall decline. With cable’s ever increasing decline and streaming’s rise in usage, it would almost make sense to spend less money on dying networks and spend it on other important things, but what does this mean for future generations?  

For 55 long years, PBS has provided education and other programming for a wide range of ages and genres. Each month, 100 million people would turn on their TVs and tune to the PBS channel for science, history, culture and public affairs. Millions of kids have grown up with this program and millions more should continue to do so.  

“It could be detrimental to children to lose such an important source of information” said junior Felix Khan. 

 Felix believes both PBS and NPR are both “Important to not only the development of young children who rely on those shows to develop important skills, but also many adults who use public programming as an unbiased source of news and information.” 

 “I am pretty disappointed about the PBS and NPR situation. Two things stand out to me. One, I grew up in the 90s and watched Sesame Street, especially as a kid, and I think it was a big part of my early educational experience. And then even on the NPR side, I listened to NPR more so last year, but I listened to NPR a lot during my lunches, to get free public information about what’s going on in the world” said Mr. Everett, the AVTF teacher at JCHS. 

  With the loss of funds for these stations, what other alternatives might there be to get the same kind of quality that these stations provide? 

Thankfully, there is hope. As stated before, networks such as Hulu and Spotify have grown in popularity since 2020—thanks to the dreadful quarantine that everyone wants to forget —most shows from PBS and most podcasts from NPR moving to these apps. Additionally, PBS has its very own streaming service with all its shows and documentaries that, for now, appear to be unaffected by the 21 percent budget cut. Although NPR and PBS will survive the funding cuts, it is likely that they will both have to go through either layoffs or reduce staff payments to compensate for this.