For nearly 60 years, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) provided the largest source of federal funding for public radio and television stations across the country. On Jan. 5, the CPB board voted to dissolve the nonprofit, following Congress’s decision last summer to rescind more than $1 billion in previously approved funding.
The move leaves public media outlets nationwide, including NH Public Broadcasting Service (NHPBS) and NH Public Radio (NHPR), without a long-standing funding source, increasing reliance on community support and alternative revenue.
For NHPBS, which produces local and state programming alongside nationally recognized shows such as Frontline, the loss of CPB funding represents roughly 18%, or about $1.3 million, of its annual budget.
Dawn DeAngelis, vice president and chief content officer for NHPBS, says the loss has not affected programming to date, but has required tighter budgets.
For fiscal year 2026, PBS reduced its dues, and NHPBS eliminated all nonessential expenses while making no changes to staffing levels or local productions, DeAngelis says.
“The loss of CPB is disheartening. There is no doubt that there are challenges ahead, but we have every confidence that NHPBS will weather this storm and remain a trusted, valued and essential part of the local media landscape,” DeAngelis says. “As we are now 100% community supported, we stepped up our individual giving appeals and viewers have stepped up in a big way.”
NHPR, which historically received about 6% of its budget from CPB, began preparing well before the federal cuts were finalized, according to President and CEO Jim Schachter.
“CPB already informed broadcasters that they would be shutting down at the end of January,” Schachter says. “The news is that they’re dissolving completely rather than remaining in a dormant form.”
Schachter says NHPR treated the looming cuts as a foreseeable risk. “It was a little bit of business 101,” he says. “We did a risk assessment in terms of where the potential loss ranked among challenges.”
Because NHPR’s fiscal year begins July 1, Schachter says the station built its budget last year assuming the worst. “We had to build a budget not knowing what the debate in Washington would be, but we assumed the worst and did a lot of financial planning,” he says.
NHPR’s long-term strategy has centered on local service funded by listeners, combined with national podcasting initiatives that expand reach and diversify revenue, leaving Schacter confident heading into the coming year.
“What has happened is that in New Hampshire and all over the country, people have just stepped up,” Schachter says. “When you value something and think you’re going to lose it, it makes you want to support it.”
He added that thousands of people who had never supported NHPR before have donated, while others have increased their contributions. “We’re breaking records,” he says.
Still, Schachter cautions against minimizing the long-term impact. “That isn’t to diminish the loss,” he says. “We’re going to have to replace that funding year after year. But if we manage our resources well, we’ll continue to be strong over the next few years.”
The CPB board’s decision follows a July vote by Congress to rescind $1.1 billion previously allocated to the corporation. Only two Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — voted against the measure. In a statement, CPB said the shutdown followed “sustained political attacks that made it impossible for CPB to continue operating as the Public Broadcasting Act intended.”
Last May, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” ending federal funding for public radio and television through CPB. The order alleged biased news coverage in violation of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, stating public funding for news programming was “not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence” in the current U.S. media market.
In a letter to the public broadcasting system, CPB Board Chair Ruby Calvert and President and CEO Patricia Harrison emphasized that the legal foundation for public broadcasting remains intact.
“The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 itself remains the law of the land,” the letter states. “The principles enshrined in the Act—editorial independence, localism, universal service, educational mission, and service to underserved communities—remain as vital guideposts for the future of public media.”
CPB was established by Congress in 1967 to support public media and ensure equitable access to information and education, distributing more than 70% of its funding directly to more than 1,500 locally owned stations nationwide.
Schachter, who spent much of his career in the newspaper industry, including at The New York Times, says the loss of CPB funding represents a breach of public trust.
“For 60 years there has been a very effective partnership between the American public and community-based organizations like NHPR to make quality local and national news available for free.” he says. “It’s that contract that was broken when Congress and the White House decided to end federal support for public broadcasting.”
What replaces it, Schachter says, is a new agreement rooted entirely in community support. “Now it’s 100 percent on the people here in New Hampshire to support NHPR,” he says. “It’s almost not humble to say you’re humbled — but anyone here can tell you how often I have tears in my eyes at the way people have come forward.”
Despite the uncertainty, NHPR plans to continue expanding its journalism and programming, including new projects launching later this month such as Safe to Drink, a podcast on PFAS contamination, new installments of Civics 101, and a remembrance project marking the anniversary of the Challenger explosion and the legacy of Christa McAuliffe.
“Public media has never been more essential,” DeAngelis says. “The American public has affirmed that over the past six months with its overwhelming financial support of local stations across the country, including at NHPBS.”