Poynter, Public Media Company Launch National Overhaul Initiative
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St. Petersburg, Fla. – September 11, 2026 -- The Poynter Institute and Public Media Company have launched the Future of Public Media Initiative, a national effort to rebuild the U.S. public media system a year after Congress rescinded more than $1 billion in future funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Congress cut over $1 billion in CPB funding a year ago, ending five decades of support
CPB had distributed funding to a network of 1,500 public media stations for over 50 years, backing news, educational and cultural programming. The rescission left many local stations searching for new funding and operating models.