Arkansas TV will keep PBS affiliation after foundation raises funds to cover dues

The Arkansas Educational Television Commission voted 6-0 Thursday to use the funds its foundation has raised to maintain its affiliation with PBS for the upcoming fiscal year.

The decision follows more than six months of uncertainty and outcry after the commission voted in December to rebrand and to drop PBS, citing the rescission of federal funding for public media. Arkansas TV CEO Carlton Wing said the station could no longer afford the $2.1 million in dues it would owe PBS in FY27.

But after pushback from local PBS supporters and network CEO Paula Kerger, the commission paused the decision in March. The Arkansas TV Foundation, a nonprofit fundraiser for the network, then launched a campaign to raise enough money to cover the PBS dues. It announced yesterday that it had achieved its goal, with the final gift coming from the Knight Foundation.

“We are pleased the commission voted to accept the funds raised by the AETN Foundation to continue as a PBS member station,” PBS said in a statement to Current. “Over the past three months, the foundation raised the funds needed from major Arkansas foundations and individual philanthropy from all 75 counties in the state. It truly was an example of the voice of the people being heard.”

Marge Betley, CEO of the Arkansas TV Foundation, said during the meeting that the nonprofit had raised more than $5.25 million in “commitments or cash in the door,” enough to cover the network’s PBS dues of $1.5 million in both FY28 and FY29 as well. Donors included an anonymous Arkansas donor, the Walton Family Foundation, the Schueck Family Foundation and the Tyson Family Foundation.

After an extended discussion about the PBS dues model and the state network’s finances, Commissioner Cynthia Nance, who previously voted against disaffiliation, moved to rescind the Dec. 11 vote to disaffiliate from PBS and to authorize the commission’s executive director to accept the foundation’s funds for paying the 2027 PBS dues.

After the unanimous vote, several members of the public expressed their excitement about the reversal of the Dec. 11 decision.

Joy Holmes of Conway, Ark., said she hoped the commission would do its part to help keep Arkansas TV affiliated with PBS “because PBS is what I want. I want an Arkansas that’s connected to the world.”

Discussion of dues model

During the meeting, Wing said he took issue with PBS’ dues model, which sets fees based in part on stations’ nonfederal financial support. The model is intended to help stations predict annual payments and to ease the financial burden on larger stations.

AETC Chair Gary Newton pointed out that Arkansas TV would owe more in dues to PBS if its nonfederal revenue grows. Wing added that other station leaders share his concern that state networks pay a disproportionate amount in dues.

“That dues structure is a hot topic nationally,” he said. “A lot of our stations, especially our statewide entities, which is about 20 of us across the country … have brought up the need to address with PBS the unfairness of the current structure.”

Wing said he believed dues should be based on population size. “There are other states that have far less population and pay far more than we do, even, but we are on the higher end in terms of per capita, we pay more than most,” he said.

PBS stopped using local population to set dues because of concerns that the practice made it more difficult for stations to predict shifts in their payments.

The PBS board of directors voted to reduce its total dues revenue Tuesday by about 13% for FY27. Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media and leader of the PBS dues task force, said PBS is working with Deloitte to develop recommendations about the station assessment for a September board meeting.

In its statement to Current, PBS said, “We remain concerned that there was a lot of confusion around facts during the Commission meeting. It would be helpful if Carlton Wing would attend and participate in the monthly General Managers meetings.” The network said Wing has attended only one virtual meeting since becoming CEO of Arkansas TV in September and that he did not attend the network’s Annual Meeting last month in Austin, Texas.

“We would welcome his participation, where he would be able to learn how PBS operates and he would have the opportunity to express his point of view,” PBS said.