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From NPR News: President Trump’s new head of the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an investigation of NPR and PBS, with an eye toward unraveling federal funding for all public broadcasting.
“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” Chairman Brendan Carr wrote on Wednesday to the presidents and chief executives of NPR and PBS, Katherine Maher and Paula A. Kerger, respectively. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
The FCC does not directly regulate the two networks. Instead, it evaluates the actions of roughly 1,500 public broadcasting stations across the country, which hold licenses granted by the FCC for use of public airwaves for radio and television, even in the digital age.
Public broadcasting stations are prohibited from running commercials. Instead they present what are considered corporate underwriting spots, which are supposed to stop shy of a “call to action” telling listeners and viewers to buy a product or service.
Carr addressed the issue during a recent interview with podcaster Benny Johnson.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr Threatens to DEFUND NPR and Corporate media for biased coverage:
“They should be serving the needs of their community. You are not supposed to be running ads. They are pushing viewers towards preferred politics. Congress should not fund them.” pic.twitter.com/LGfVbmPKGx
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 27, 2025
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Seeks To Open Investigation Into NPR & PBS For “Airing Commercials” – https://t.co/U6zQJYhadP pic.twitter.com/SWSpZKhxOh
— RadioInsight.com (@radioinsight) January 30, 2025
Congress just needs to defund them. There’s more than enough reason to do so. You don’t need the FCC chair to chase down this somewhat spurious claimhttps://t.co/bDDXGpaRoi
— Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) January 31, 2025
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