The defunding of PBS isn’t merely about budget, but what we value as a society. Public broadcasting in the U.S. was founded on the principles that access to education and information should not depend on income.
As federal funding for PBS disappears, it is worth considering what is at stake when we pull the plug on public education.
When asked what would happen if funding disappeared, Matt Graham, a former PBS executive and current Laguna parent, said, “The direct impact would be felt most acutely by families who rely on over-the-air broadcasting. In rural or low-income areas, where broadband isn’t a given, PBS is a free educational tool.”
But the challenge is if that funding vanishes, those who rely on PBS’s free signal for education lose far more than a TV channel.
Critics often claim that public broadcasting has become obsolete in the YouTube era.
“There is absolutely fat to trim, and a pressing need for more fiscal discipline,” Graham said.
Yet he pushed back on the idea that PBS shows outlive their purpose.
“YouTube is a platform, not a public service. The mission isn’t obsolete, but the organization must constantly prove it is not.”
Currently, television shows are dismissed as fake news. PBS’s strength lies in the trust they have built over the years.
“Netflix won’t cover your local school board race, and YouTube’s algorithm won’t prioritize a documentary of your state’s agriculture,” Graham said.
Communities value PBS and kids’ shows and that trust cannot be replicated.
“When I was younger, I remember sitting on the couch watching ‘Wild Kratts’,” said senior Peyton Gimbel. “Believe it or not, I still remember so many details about each animal.”
The consequences of losing PBS reach far beyond children’s shows. Before funding was cut, PBS Kids had over 345 million streams a month and 15 million monthly users.
If you cut off the funding for streaming, there are possibly 15 million kids losing access to education that they might not otherwise receive.
Public broadcasting is still necessary in an era of online content.
“It’s about the difference between availability and universal access,” Graham said.
“For a family struggling to make ends meet, data caps are a real concern. PBS’s broadcast signal is universal and free,” said Graham. “It’s the most equitable way to deliver content.”
Looking forward, Graham believes PBS’s survival depends on accountability and innovation.
“It must constantly justify its existence not by pointing to the past, but by innovating for the future.”
That future depends on maintaining trust and cutting unnecessary spending.
Also, by strengthening community partnerships, it can assert that PBS is, in fact, a necessity for our community.
Defunding PBS might save the government a small amount of money, but the real cost is loss of education. It strips away one of the last remaining sources of free, fact-based information available to Americans.
“PBS can’t be a vessel for any agenda. It’s only bias must be toward factual, community-serving content,” Graham said.
