Arkansas becomes the first state to cut ties with PBS, effective July 1

The commission that oversees public television in Arkansas voted Thursday to sever ties pbsMaking it the first state to terminate its contract with the broadcasting giant that provides popular television programs such as “Sesame Street,” “Nova” and “Antiques Roadshow.”

The eight-member Arkansas Educational Television Commission, composed entirely of individuals appointed by the governor, announced in a news release Thursday that it planned to disaffiliate from PBS effective July 1, citing annual membership dues of approximately $2.5 million as “not feasible.” The release also cited the unexpected loss of approximately the same amount of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which was targeted for closure earlier this year and had its funding revoked by Congress.

PBS Arkansas is rebranding itself as Arkansas TV and will provide more local content, Carlton Wing, the agency’s executive director and CEO, said in a statement. Wing, a former Republican state representative, took command of the agency in September.

“Public television is not going away in Arkansas,” Wing said. “Indeed, we invite you to join us in our vision to focus more on local programming, continue to protect Arkansas in times of emergency, and support our K-12 teachers and students.”

PBS confirmed in an email Thursday that Arkansas is the first state to definitively sever ties with the broadcaster. Alabama had considered similar action the previous month, but opted to continue paying its contract with PBS after public backlash from viewers and donors.

“The commission’s decision to drop the PBS subscription is a blow to the people of Arkansas, who will lose free, on-air access to the quality PBS programming they know and love,” a PBS spokesperson wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

The end of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a direct result of President Donald Trump’s targeting of public media, which he has repeatedly said is spreading political and cultural ideas that the United States should support. The closure is expected to have a profound impact on the journalism and cultural landscape – in particular, on public radio and TV stations in small communities across the country.

Arkansas House Democratic leader Representative Andrew Collins called the demise of PBS in Arkansas tragic. “This is certainly a loss for Arkansas families who value PBS’s programming,” he said.

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