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AS MANY AS

115 public television and radio stations are projected to close

As a consequence, tens of millions of Americans will lose access to free, high quality news, educational, and cultural programming. In our highly interconnected public media system, the failure of these stations will also have a cascading effect endangering distressed stations in other areas of the country and threatening services everywhere.

In response, Public Media Company has launched the Public Media Bridge Fund. The Fund’s purpose is to secure local public media service at this vulnerable moment, with an early focus on rural and underserved communities where public media organizations face the greatest risks.

 

Public Media is at a Crossroads

For more than 50 years, U.S. public media has connected 99% of Americans to trusted local and national news, educational programming, and cultural content—backed by billions in community investment, a vast broadcast infrastructure, and the hard-earned trust of local communities across the country.

Today, that system is in crisis. The loss of federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting threatens to trigger a cascade of local station closures, starting with many rural and under resourced stations, with consequences that could cause irreversible damage to our civic and democratic life.

We have a narrow but critical window to protect these important community institutions—and to reimagine public media for a stronger, more sustainable future.

To learn more, explore our Bridge Fund 101 slide deck.

For questions contact info@publicmedia.co.

Stay Informed

The Public Media Bridge Fund is moving quickly to raise resources and deploy support. More details, including partnership and funding opportunities for stations, will be available in late September 2025.

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Funding Partners

The Public Media Bridge Fund is made possible through the generosity of organizations dedicated to preserving and strengthening local public media organizations. We are deeply grateful for their early commitment to protecting public media at this critical moment and look forward to announcing and celebrating our partners in the near future.

If you share our belief in the power of public media to inform, educate, and inspire communities, please consider supporting your local station first. If you are interested in supporting the work of the Public Media Bridge Fund, please consider making a donation.