Arkansas Drops PBS
The Arkansas Educational Television Commission has voted to end the state's public TV affiliation with PBS starting July 1, said a news release Thursday from the newly renamed Arkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS. “This summer’s unexpected loss of $2.5 million…
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in annual federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) presented formidable challenges,” the release said. “A careful and considerate organization-wide review of operations, partnerships and sustainability revealed that annual PBS membership dues of nearly $2.5 million was simply not feasible for the network or our Foundation.” The change doesn’t mean that public TV in Arkansas is going away, the release said. “We invite you to join our vision for an increased focus on local programming, continuing to safeguard Arkansans in times of emergency and supporting our K-12 educators and students,” said CEO Carlton Wing in the release. “We are confident that we can secure ongoing and increased support from individual donors, foundation partners and corporate sponsors who see the value in investing in new local programming that serves our state.”