Children’s Educational Programming At Risk! House Spending Bill Removes Funding For Corporation For Public Broadcasting, Primary Funding Source For PBS, WLIW21

WITH PBS FUNDING ELIMINATED IN HOUSE SPENDING BILL, GILLIBRAND  PUSHES FOR $575 MILLION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Funding Cuts Could Put Future Of Beloved Shows Like Sesame Street At Risk

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Editor’s note: Public broadcasting has been a lifeline for young people who want to learn and advance in their classes, particularly for those of low income who need additional help to excel in school.  Programs such as Sesame Street, Learn to Read, Mister Rogers, Reading Rainbow,  and others teach kids valuable lessons, some of which include the value of kindness, learning from and sharing with others, and of course reading, writing, and other important life skills. For those whose parents may not be able to purchase interactive devices or programs on DVD, public broadcasting can be invaluable. When combined with excellent and sufficient library access, these two tools can help young people lift themselves out of poverty if they can understand the value of education and are willing to apply themselves. 

Fortunately, the funding discussed herein was restored in the final bill which reached the president’s desk on Tuesday.  Here is what the senators spokesperson said:

“CPB funding actually was included.

FY24 LHHS Bill Summary (senate.gov)

Corporation for Public Broadcasting: The bill protects funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support more than 1,500 locally owned TV and radio stations nationwide—rejecting House Republicans’ proposal to zero out funding and weaken Americans’ access to local reporting. The bill maintains a critical investment of $60 million for digital interconnection and $535 million as a two-year advance appropriation, of which roughly 70% is provided directly to local public TV and radio stations”

WASHINGTON, D.C. –On Thursday, March 14^th at 10:45 AM U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand lead a bipartisan push for $575 million in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to be included in the upcoming government spending package. The funding bill proposed by the House eliminates advance funding for CPB, meaning that the future of critical educational and news programming, as well as beloved shows like Sesame Street and America’s Test Kitchen, could be in jeopardy.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports over 1,500 local public television and radio stations that provide free, high-quality programming to millions of households across America. It provides young children who don’t get the chance to attend preschool with educational content that helps them learn to read; airs highly trusted nightly news programming; and shares critical public safety information during emergencies. Local public television stations also provide extensive coverage of local government and elections and host candidate debates, helping Americans stay connected with their elected leaders. Because public television and radio relies heavily on federal funding to operate, particularly in rural communities, losing this funding would force many of these stations to reduce or even eliminate much of their programming.

Banner Image: PBS Funding video cover. Image Credit – Staten Islander News

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand