PBS CEO Recounts "Sobering" Year Amid Federal Funding Dispute with Trump Administration

ASPEN, COLORADO — Paula Kerger, the Chief Executive Officer of PBS, recently characterized the past year as "extraordinary" for the organization, following the decision by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to revoke its federal funding.

Speaking at the Aspen Institute's Ideas Festival on Sunday, Kerger was asked to provide an overview of the dramatic period PBS navigated, which she described as a "year of letters." This commenced in January 2025 with an inquiry from Federal Communications Committee (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, who was examining PBS' corporate partnerships. This was followed in March by a letter from then-Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, summoning Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher to testify before the DOGE Committee's hearing, which was controversially titled "Anti-American Airwaves."

"I repeat this all the time because of all the things in the last year, that was the most offensive," Kerger conveyed to the Aspen audience.

She then referenced the letter received from President Trump, which outlined an executive order to withhold federal funding from both PBS and NPR.

Legal Battle and Funding Impact

Reflecting on a pivotal moment, Kerger stated, "The most sobering moment of the year, maybe even my life, was signing the lawsuit against the president." She added, "I did feel the gravity of the moment. I mean, never in my life did I think that I would be signing a lawsuit against the President of the United States."

The withdrawal of funding had immediate repercussions. Kerger pointed to the frantic efforts required to secure financing for the new PBS Kids program "Phoebe and Jay" and the unfortunate cancellation of an initiative aimed at providing American Sign Language interpretation for children's programming.

She emphasized how crucial federal funds are to local affiliates. "Our stations were counting on that money. Eighty percent of the money that comes from the federal government actually doesn't go to me or to NPR, it goes to the stations. That's where that money goes," Kerger explained. She noted that for some PBS-affiliated stations, such as one in Cookeville, Tennessee, federal funding constituted "50%" of their budget.

The financial strain led to significant personnel reductions. "We've laid off 100 people. I mean, we've had very deep cuts," she later disclosed.

Advocacy Efforts and Unexpected Support

In an attempt to secure support in the Senate after a bill to defund public media successfully passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Kerger enlisted the help of renowned documentarian Ken Burns.

"I am very hesitant to ask someone like him to wade in on something like this because we try to protect our creative talent, but I was desperate at the end and I knew we were really, really close," Kerger said of Burns, who was present alongside her at the Ideas Festival. "He made calls and we had the votes, and then there was a pause for about an hour and a half and my colleague Jeremy... he and I are talking and he said, 'I think we've got it. I think he pulled it out.' And then we didn't. And we lost by one vote."

Looking Ahead: Sustaining Public Media

Despite the turmoil she revisited, Kerger also shared what she called the "good part of the story." This involved the establishment of a "runway" for stations heavily dependent on federal funding through a fundraising initiative named the Bridge Fund, intended to provide at least two years of financial support.

She also highlighted a significant increase in public support, boasting the addition of "a million new members of Public Broadcasting Stations" since the funding was withdrawn the previous July, with the majority of these individuals contributing on a monthly basis.

Kerger concluded by stating, "This has not solved our problem, So I can say proudly we're still here... but it's up to all of us to make sure if this is something worth preserving that we're leaned in together."