Spending bill upholds public media funding

The spending bill approved by Congress last week maintains level funding for public media. 

The bill upholds CPB’s two-year advance appropriation of $535 million in fiscal year 2027, CPB said in a news release. 

America’s Public Television Stations confirmed that the bill also includes level FY25 funding for public broadcasting interconnection, Ready To Learn and the Next Generation Warning System. 

Public media received $60 million for interconnection and infrastructure in FY24. Ready To Learn received $31 million and the Next Generation Warning System received $40 million for that year. 

“The federal investment in public media enables us to provide the delivery of geo-targeted wireless emergency alerts to cell phones, the only nationwide situational awareness tool used by public safety officials to track and monitor the effectiveness of those alerts,” said APTS CEO Kate Riley in a statement. “We support families in preparing their kids for success in school and life with free, universally accessible, proven educational content, including for the over 50 percent of U.S. kids that don’t attend formal preschool.”

President Donald Trump has signed the bill, according to a Saturday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields. 

“We appreciate the bipartisan support from Congress on behalf of the more than 1,500 local public media stations across the nation,” CPB CEO Patricia Harrison said in the release. 

Harrison said stations raise nearly seven dollars from donors for every public dollar they are provided. 

“With the support of Congress and the American people, CPB will continue to prioritize educational content and resources for families, provide essential local reporting and public safety information, and pursue technology advancements that enhance public media’s connection with audiences across multiple platforms,” Harrison said.