WBGU to end PBS affiliation due to federal funding cuts

Bowling Green State University in Ohio, the licensee of WBGU-TV, announced Jan. 16 that the station will end its PBS affiliation June 30.

In a news release, the university attributed the decision to last year’s rescission of federal funding. University spokesperson Colleen Rerucha said carrying PBS “has become financially unsustainable long term.”

“Bowling Green has identified a pathway that allows WBGU to remain a broadcasting unit at the University with limited operations, focused on livestreaming services,” Rerucha said. “In addition, we are actively identifying new learning opportunities for students, while serving the community in innovative ways, and we look forward to leveraging our broadcast capabilities for our students and northwest Ohio.”

WBGU GM Tom Cummings referred Current to BGSU for comment on how much the organization paid PBS in dues for fiscal year 2026 and whether staff will be laid off. University spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.

WBGU-TV received a CPB Community Service Grant of about $956,000 in fiscal year 2024, according to its latest audited financial statement. Its total operating revenue of $3 million that year minus expenses showed a net loss of $1.3 million.

BGSU gave the station $471,094 in direct support that year, according to the statement, and valued its “donated facilities and support” and “indirect administrative support” at $559,859. The university’s foundation held about $2 million in endowed investments on behalf of the station.

As of July 1, the station will replace PBS programming with The Ohio Channel, a network owned by the state government and managed by Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland. Its programming includes gavel-to-gavel coverage of legislative affairs; health and wellness shows; the public affairs program All Sides, produced by WOSU Public Media in Columbus; and Sound of Ideas, produced by Ideastream.

WBGU will also drop the Create channel, which is distributed and produced by American Public Television, the WNET Group in New York and GBH in Boston. It will end production of The Journal, a weekly public affairs program, and its high school quiz show BGSU Brain Game, which is in its 13th season.

In the release, the spokesperson said asking for more donations from supporters would not make up the loss of federal funding. Viewers in northwest Ohio will be able to access PBS programming through WGTE Public Media in Toledo, which is about 25 miles north of Bowling Green.

In 2015, BGSU’s board of trustees explored selling the station’s signal in the FCC spectrum auction, which university officials estimated could yield $40 million. The university ultimately decided not to participate in the auction.

The Ohio station will be the fourth public television station or network to cut ties with PBS. It follows Arkansas TV; WEIU in Charleston, Ill.; and WSRE in Pensacola, Fla.