Arkansas becomes first to cut ties with PBS, calling membership ‘not feasible’

Arkansas is set to become the first state to cut ties with PBS, after the commission that oversees public television in the state voted to end its contract with the broadcast company.

The eight-member Arkansas Educational Television Commission announced Thursday that it plans to separate from PBS effective July 1.

The committee, made up entirely of members appointed by the governor, pointed to annual membership fees of about $2.5 million, which it called “simply not feasible.”

Trump funding cut forces PBS to cut 100 jobs

The announcement also noted the unexpected loss of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which congress defunded earlier this year and has since begun scaling back its operations. The end of CPB comes as president Donald Trump has targeted public media by accusing them of spreading biased, left-wing political and cultural views.

CPB helps fund PBS and NPR, but most of its funding is distributed to more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations across the United States.

With the move to unaffiliation, PBS Arkansas will rebrand as Arkansas TV.

DOMINO is rebranding for the first time in over a decade

The Arkansas Educational Television Commission announced that it plans to separate from PBS effective July 1. (Getty Images/Getty Images)

Programming is expected to remain largely the same before July 1, at which point the network plans to focus on locally produced content.

“Public television in Arkansas is not going away,” Carlton Wing, executive director and CEO of PBS Arkansas, who is also a former Republican state representative, said in a statement.

He continued, “Indeed, we invite you to join our vision to increase the focus on local programs, continue to protect Arkansas in times of emergency and support our K-12 educators and students…. We are confident in our ability to secure continued and growing support from individual donors, institutional partners and corporate sponsors who see the value of investing in new local programs that serve our state.”

PBS CEO Paula Kerger poses for a photo at PBS headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, on July 14, 2025. (Getty Images/Getty Images)

Get FOX Business on the go by clicking here

The commission’s decision “represents a blow to Arkansans who will lose free over-the-air access to the high-quality PBS programming they know and love,” a PBS spokesperson said in a statement to Arkansas outlet KNWA.

Although Arkansas is the first state to end its affiliation with PBS, Alabama considered a similar move last month before opting to continue its contract with the broadcaster after public backlash.