The battle over who controls public radio’s national distribution infrastructure has landed in federal court, with NPR filing an emergency motion accusing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of caving to political pressure in what it calls “a last-ditch attempt to carry out the President’s desire to defund NPR and thereby curry his favor.”
NPR was in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on September 30, seeking an emergency order to block the CPB from redirecting satellite system funds to a new public radio consortium, which would fundamentally reshape how hundreds of stations nationwide receive programming.
For decades, NPR has operated the Public Radio Satellite System, managing the content distribution network that links hundreds of stations nationwide to news, cultural programming, and national shows. The PRSS has functioned as public radio’s backbone, ensuring reliable delivery of everything from Morning Edition to local station feeds.
But with federal subsidies for public broadcasting ended under the current administration, CPB shifted course in the eleventh hour.
On September 26, it awarded up to $57.9 million over five years to Public Media Infrastructure, a new nonprofit formed by PRX, American Public Media Group, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, New York Public Radio, and the Station Resource Group.
The grant hands PMI authority to manage interconnection services with a mandate to expand digital distribution, audience measurement, and sponsorship technology. CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison cast the decision as one meant to “drive the future of radio content distribution, ensuring that interconnection is not only reliable but also innovative, representative, and sustainable,” but NPR will not let this go quietly.
“In a misguided attempt to appease a President bent on retribution, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is poised to violate both the First Amendment principles that it was entrusted to promote and the very law that gives rise to its existence,” the filing states. NPR argues the Public Broadcasting Act makes its designation as the PRSS operator binding, and that “Absent such relief, CPB’s actions will irreparably harm NPR as well as the hundreds of public radio stations nationwide that rely on NPR’s operation and management of the PRSS.”
According to NPR, CPB had approved a three-year extension of the grant as recently as April 2 before suddenly reversing course. NPR argues that reversal coincided with the White House campaign against the network following contentious coverage and public statements that drew the ire of President Trump. “The only thing that changed was the degree of political pressure the [Trump] Administration was placing on NPR,” the filing says.
The organization frames the issue as both a statutory violation and a constitutional one, arguing CPB lacks the legal authority to strip NPR of its congressionally designated role. “In short, the Order violates NPR’s First Amendment rights … and CPB should be enjoined from enforcing the Order.”
NPR asked the court for a temporary restraining order to prevent CPB from disbursing the funds to any other entity while the case is decided. It warned that once redirected, the money cannot be recovered, leaving stations nationwide potentially without the backbone system that links them to national programming during what could be a lengthy legal battle.
The court reports taking the matter under advisement, with an order forthcoming.
If NPR hadn’t gone so far leftist over the last 20 years maybe their funding would not have been cut. When they became just as bad as mainstream media being cheerleaders for the DNC and nothing else, the handwriting was on the wall that sooner or later their funding would go down to zero from taxpayers. Good. They brought it on themselves with their one-sided coverage. A free state doesn’t need a suspect government run media. Only totalitarian governments need those like the Soviet Union needed Pravda. Well, now NPR can be as far left as they want. Maybe that will make them happy. There are many Americans who love the radio stations and the music they play, (I personally love WSGE and WNCW), but they will never contribute a dime to them as long as they are affiliated with NPR.
Comments are closed.