For the past 58 years The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been funding radio and TV stations such as PBS. But now this corporation has shut down, so will PBS shut down too?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has been shut down due to the defunding that took place in July 2025. This defunding lead to 1.1 billion dollars being taken away from funding. This summer the package of budget cuts was released towards CPB by the Republican-led Senate and House.

In August it was first announced that CPB would be shutting down after Congress had decided the budget cuts, it was also announced around this time that multiple staff positions would be cut.

With this loss of money it was voted by CPB to dissolve and shut down. CPB has funded PBS from 1967 to 2025 and has been a major money provider. So what does this mean for the beloved broadcasting system known as PBS?

PBS is known to be an educational resource with documentaries and television shows targeted towards children. With this, PBS has won their fair share of awards such as the Webby Media Company of the year in 2024.

PBS could be recognized from some of their kids shows: Sesame Street, Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood, or even Arthur. PBS also has some popular documentaries such as The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross and Antique’s Roadshow.

Like almost every television channel, their number of viewers is declining, but even with this decline PBS has always been doing well. So much that PBS is able to reach 58% of households. This is over 130 million people annually.

So the big question is, will PBS shut down too?

Without CPB, PBS will face financial difficulties; however, PBS is predicted to survive without CPB. Without the funding from CPB, PBS is almost certain to make some changes, not including shutting down.

PBS has been resourceful and important to many people’s lives. So as for right now PBS will continue to live on with viewers like you.