EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR, alleging bias in the broadcasters' reporting. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies "to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS" and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels public funding to NPR and PBS, said that it is not a federal executive agency subject to Trump's orders. Trump earlier this week said he was firing three of the five remaining CPB board members -- threatening its ability to do any work -- and was immediately sued by the CPB to stop it. The head of PBS said Friday that Trump's executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR was blatantly unlawful.
Below is information on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's funding for local public television and radio stations and how to assess the potential impacts of funding cuts in your state.
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READ AP'S LATEST COVERAGE
PBS chief slams Trump's executive order aiming to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR as unlawful
Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR
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FIND YOUR STATE: PUBLIC STATIONS AND FUNDING
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting maintains an online interactive map that you can use to identify public television and radio stations in your state or region. Users can search the map using a variety of inputs, such as zip code and city or state. Make note of the density -- or lack thereof -- of stations in your state. While some areas have a large number of stations, other communities may only be served by a handful of public stations. And their dependence on public subsidies may vary.
Another interactive on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting website features funding from CBP organized by state. (The data goes back to fiscal year 2019.) You can click on a specific state and see how much money grantees in that state received for various purposes, such as educational programming. To get more granular financial information, users can then click on the button titled "View all Grants and Allocations" to see which specific stations received money, the exact financial figures, and the general purpose of funding.
Individual stations also post financial statements that include detailed information on their revenue and expenses. For instance, these documents show how much money a station received from various sources, such as memberships, and how the station spent its money. Search online for these financial statements.
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PUBLISH THIS CONTEXT
The vast majority of public money for NPR and PBS goes directly to its hundreds of local stations, which operate on a combination of government funding, donations and philanthropic grants. Stations in smaller markets are particularly dependent on the public money and most threatened by the cuts of the sort Trump is proposing.
In a Thursday social media post, the White House said that the outlets "receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'" PBS CEO Paula Kerger said Friday that the president's order "threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years."
The move against PBS and NPR comes as Trump's administration has been working to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which were designed to model independent news gathering globally in societies that restrict the press.
Those efforts have faced pushback from federal courts, which have ruled in some cases that the Trump administration may have overstepped its authority in holding back funds appropriated to the outlets by Congress.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
-- How much federal money do stations in your state receive from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and what does it fund?
-- How many public television and radio stations are in your state or region and what types of grants do they receive from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
-- How much does your local public television or radio station rely on funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as opposed to other sources?
-- Would any popular local programming be affected by the proposed cuts?
-- How would potential cuts to federal funding for public television and radio stations impact communities with limited access to local news, such as rural areas?
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EMBED THIS GRAPHIC
This AP digital embed chart shows how federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting were allocated to public TV and radio stations in the 2025 fiscal year. This chart is current as of May 2, 2025, and will not update. Source: Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
To embed, insert this code into your CMS:
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SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COURTS
Tracking the lawsuits against Donald Trump's executive actions
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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE
Congressional Republicans target PBS and NPR funding in contentious hearing
Judge orders Trump administration to restore $12 million for pro-democracy Radio Free Europe
Trump signs order to gut staff at Voice of America and other US-funded media organizations
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Localize It is a reporting resource produced by The Associated Press for its customers' use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.
