A March 2026 change of heart that paused a 4-1 vote in December 2025 by Arkansas PBS‘ governing body not to renew its PBS contract stopped — at least for an undetermined time — the shift of the organization to “Arkansas TV” and secular educational programming minus the variety of offerings from the public broadcasting service.
Now, thanks to an anonymous benefactor, there a good chance “Arkansas PBS” will remain on the air.
A $3 million donation has been given to keep PBS in the Natural State. It is not being disclosed who provided the dollars.
In an interview with KTHV-11 in Little Rock, Arkansas TV Executive Director and CEO Carlton Wing said of the sudden funds, “It’s not a donation, it’s a pledge, and it’s a challenge grant. So what they’re saying is, if there are matching funds, then they will contribute a million dollars per year. So the match has to be acquired.”
That news reached lawmakers in the Arkansas statehouse, and they came up with a plan to match the donated funds. The State of Arkansas has been the key funding source for Arkansas TV, with just 14% of its revenue derived from individual donors.
Now, it is up to the Arkansas legislature to approve SB77, which passed out of a Special Language Committee on Wednesday. It is expected to be presented to the full Senate next week.
“If those funds were acquired so that it eliminated the financial issue that we have been saying all along with the loss of the federal funding cuts,” Wing said.
