Arkansas TV CEO said PBS content now unaffordable: ‘Change is always difficult’
Arkansas has become the first state to end its affiliation with PBS following cuts to public television by the Trump administration, citing an unaffordable multi-million annual fee for the national content. That $2.5 million fee was typically paid by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
Without CPB money, Arkansas will no longer be able to afford that content. The change will take effect on July 1, 2026.
While it is the first, other states appear to be looking into doing the same.
Arkansas cuts PBS
The Arkansas Educational Television Commission voted 6-2 in favor of that decision. It came after the commission lost $2.5 million in annual federal funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB).
As part of the cut, the statewide public TV network previously known as Arkansas PBS will now be known as Arkansas TV.
“We were forced into a situation where we had to cut budget and figure out how we could make ends meet just to get through this current fiscal year,” Carlton Wing, Executive Director of and CEO of Arkansas TV, told Straight Arrow News.
Wing said the Arkansas TV’s foundation doubled their typical annual donation to $1.5 million to help them get through the year.
“But that, of course, is not a long-term strategy,” Wing said.
That led to the decision to cut ties with PBS, which costs them $2.5 million annually in dues.
“We cannot afford to continue to pay $2.5 million for dues to PBS and still stay on the air,” Wing said.
Wing made it clear this was a direct result of the Trump administration’s funding cut which ended the CPB.
“It’s a direct result of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting going under,” Wing said.
The impact on viewers like you
Wing said there’s good and bad in this new direction for public television in The Natural State.
“We will continue to have education as our main focus,” Wing said. “We’ll be able now to offer much more Arkansas-related local programming instead of having 90-95% of our programming coming from a national source.”
Arkansas TV announced it will have a new lineup coming to public TV in 2026, including two children’s series, two food-related series, two history series and more.
“A lot of people would look at our station and say, ‘all I see is national stuff,’” Wing said. “We get national stuff everywhere. People want to see local content as well, and every state has a lot to celebrate. Arkansas is certainly no exception. And so, we want to tell our stories and be able to focus on what makes Arkansas, Arkansas.”
There are certainly some drawbacks as well, including tens of thousands of viewers losing access to popular shows like “Sesame Street,” “Antiques Roadshow” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”
While those shows will not be viewable over the airwaves anymore, Wing said people can still see them through other mediums.
“They can still see it on the PBS passport app,” Wing said. “They can still see children’s programming for free on the PBS Kids app. All of the streaming services that have PBS programming, whether it’s Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, that’s still available. [Their] YouTube channel is still available.”
Public TV funding
A PBS spokesperson reportedly responded to the news in Arkansas by calling it “a blow to Arkansans who will lose free, over-the-air access to quality PBS programming they know and love.”
The Trump administration ordered funding be pulled for public TV and radio in May, calling them “biased media” in an executive order he signed in May. Congress passed cuts in July that included zeroing out CBP’s annual federal funding.
That decision has received pushback from many who said it’s an important source of information for people all over the country. That includes the CEO of Bob Ross Inc., who recently helped auction off three Bob Ross paintings and raised $600,000 for public TV.
While Arkansas is the first state to cut ties with PBS over the loss of funding, they may not be the last.
The Alabama Educational Television Commission flirted with the idea but ultimately voted to continue its contract with PBS after significant public backlash.
“Elmo Says Don’t Be Mean to Alabama Children,” one protester’s sign read.
As for Arkansas, Wing said he’s not opposed to getting PBS back on the air in his state.
“If they can come back with something that is financially responsible, then we’re always willing to listen,” Wing said. “The problem, the situation for us is, we don’t answer to investors. We answer to the citizens of Arkansas whose tax dollars are paying for this, and so we have to be very responsible with those dollars.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
