President Trump has cut federal funding for public broadcasting, putting hundreds of rural radio and TV stations across the U.S. at risk of closure. This action by Congress goes beyond simple budget cuts, taking place against the complex backdrop of allegations of bias in media coverage by U.S. news outlets, declining trust in the political neutrality of public broadcasting, and rapid changes in the news consumption landscape.
In recent years, public media outlets such as National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) have faced criticism from conservatives for "left-leaning reporting," and there have been internal revelations and resignations addressing these issues. This, coupled with the sharp decline in viewership for mainstream progressive media such as CNN and the rise of conservative channels like Newsmax, has led to assessments that the Trump administration is actively undermining the structure of public broadcasting.
◇Full budget cuts... At least 100 stations face closure
According to Bloomberg News and The Washington Post on the 22nd (local time), this measure, which involves cutting the federal budget of $1.1 billion allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) entirely, has passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting the president's signature. Stations receiving public broadcasting support will continue operating under the existing fiscal year budget until September, but thereafter they face a situation with no clear alternatives to fill the budget gap.
Analysis by the nonprofit broadcasting support organization Public Media Company indicates that this budget cut may result in the closure of at least 78 radio stations and 37 TV stations. Many of these stations operate multiple channels and serve wide areas, so the actual impact may be greater. Particularly, regions like Alaska, South Dakota, Texas, and Maine, where there are almost no alternative information channels, have raised concerns that the accessibility of local news, a foundation of democracy, could collapse.
◇"Democratic institution disguised as journalists"... Trump targets public broadcasting
President Trump has claimed that NPR and PBS are "institutions of the Democratic Party disguised as journalists" and should not be funded by taxpayer dollars. Harrison Fields, the White House principal deputy press secretary, also emphasized that NPR and PBS need to learn how to survive on their own and stated that this cut is a fair action unrelated to political bias. The Republican Party has criticized NPR and PBS for their progressive leanings for decades, and this time, most Republican lawmakers in both houses have voted in favor of the cuts. Even regions with high federal dependence on broadcasting such as Mississippi, Kentucky, and South Dakota were not exceptions.
However, in areas with particularly high dependence on local public broadcasting, such as Maine and Alaska, some Republican lawmakers, including Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, voted against the measure. This indicates they are drawing a line against an action that threatens the function of local public broadcasting, not just national organizations.
◇Internal whistleblowing and bias controversy... Decline in viewership for progressive media
Significant fractures have already emerged within the public broadcasting sector. Last April, our Berlener, the chief business editor at NPR, resigned, blowing the whistle on the network's progressive bias. He criticized NPR for excluding conservative perspectives on sensitive issues such as the Russia scandal, Hunter Biden's laptop, and the lab leak theory of the COVID-19 pandemic. He asserted, "NPR has become not a neutral news organization but a boutique media outlet for the educated elite on the coasts."
NPR has stated that it aims to provide news for "all Americans," but there are increasing concerns that its listener base is rapidly becoming centered on progressive tendencies. This change is not limited to NPR but is seen across traditional progressive media outlets, such as CNN and MSNBC. Notably, according to Business Insider, since the end of President Trump's first term in January 2021, CNN's prime-time ratings have declined by about 36%, and in the key advertising demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, the drop has reached nearly 49%. At certain points, ratings have temporarily plummeted by as much as 80% to 90%.
◇Rise of conservative media... Local broadcasts "Let voters remember"
Conversely, news consumption in the conservative camp is rapidly reshaping. Newsmax, known as a media channel supportive of Trump, went public this year on the New York Stock Exchange, and its stock price has been soaring. On its listing day, March 31, shares rose by over 700%, nearing a market capitalization of $30 billion, and at one point, surpassed that of Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, valued at about $23.4 billion. This demonstrates the strong ongoing demand for conservative news in the market.
Newsmax has established itself as a core part of the reshaping of conservative platforms alongside Trump's social media platform "Truth Social" and the conservative video-sharing platform "Rumble," emphasizing its identity as a "media that survives autonomously without government subsidies." It seems the backdrop of the Trump administration's complete budget cuts for public broadcasting is also influenced by confidence regarding these shifts in the media landscape and public sentiment.
Local broadcasting stations are seeking to survive through donations and cooperation with private foundations, but already there are reports of layoffs and programming cuts. In places like Alaska, New Mexico, and Colorado, small stations operate with only 2 to 3 staff members, and some are struggling to even cover the costs of transmitter power bills.
The public broadcasting sector warns that this measure could become a turning point that undermines not only the independence of the media but also the balance of access to public information. Some suggest that this issue could serve as a criterion for voter judgment in the 2026 midterm elections. Kurt Misch, the CEO of PBS Reno, a regional station affiliated with PBS, stated, "I hope voters will remember this time, when the mission and values of public broadcasting are shaking."