PBS

Trump plans order to cut funding for NPR and PBS

12:18pm April 15, 2025

Trump and GOP members of Congress accuse the public broadcasters of biased and "woke" programming. Trump plans a rescission, giving Congress 45 days to approve it or allow funding to be restored.

'You know it when you feel it': A new documentary explores the roots of funk

5:24pm April 08, 2025

by Eric Deggans

"Once you get the funk out there, it's not going back. You can't put it back in the box," says filmmaker Stanley Nelson. His new Independent Lens documentary is out now.

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National

4 takeaways from PBS and NPR's testimony on Capitol Hill

9:19am March 26, 2025

The public broadcasting CEOs defended their networks against accusations from House Republicans of bias in news and cultural programming.

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Republican lawmakers seek to put PBS and NPR in the hot seat

7:01pm March 25, 2025

A House subcommittee led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and named after Elon Musk's government-efficiency team has set its sights on the public broadcasters.

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'Great Scenic Railway Journeys' celebrates 30 years on PBS

5:00am March 10, 2025

by Neal Charnoff

The Great Scenic Railway Journeys’ 30th Anniversary special will air this week on PBS NC stations statewide.

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FCC Chair Ajit Pai Testifies Before Senate On Agency's Oversight

Trump's FCC chief opens investigation into NPR and PBS

3:15pm January 30, 2025

Brendan Carr, the new head of the Federal Communications Commission under President Trump, says the public broadcasters are being investigated for allegedly running commercials.

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This Feb. 1978 photo shows Robert MacNeil, executive editor of "The MacNeil/Lehrer Report."

Arts

Robert MacNeil, creator and first anchor of PBS 'NewsHour,' dies at 93

4:26pm April 12, 2024

by The Associated Press

MacNeil, who created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast "The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour" in the 1970s and co-anchored the show for with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died on Friday

Ari Wallach interviews Andrea Kritcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Arts

Dystopias are so 2020. Meet the new protopias that show a hopeful future

5:12am April 01, 2024

by Neda Ulaby

A Brief History of the Future, on PBS, is an example of a "protopian" show from a new production studio helmed by Kathryn Murdoch. She believes we need more hopeful stories abut the future.

Filmmaker Ken Burns has produced and directed historical documentaries for more than 30 years. In March, 140 documentary filmmakers signed a letter to PBS executives, suggesting the service may provide an unfair level of support to white creators.

Arts

PBS And Ken Burns Vow To Do Better On Diversity But Critics Aren't Convinced

1:57pm August 12, 2021

by Eric Deggans

PBS has announced $11 million in grants to boost diversity among documentary filmmakers months after an open letter accused the service of unfairly favoring white creators.

Tavis Smiley Ordered To Pay PBS $1.5 Million For Violating Network's 'Morality' Clause

7:03pm March 04, 2020

by Vanessa Romo

Smiley, who was fired in 2017 amid sexual misconduct allegations, had sued the public broadcaster contending that he was dropped as a talk-show host because of racial bias.