PBS Survives in Alabama, for Now, After Move to Ax Funding Fails

Alabama’s Public Television Board voted on Tuesday to keep its contract with PBS after the decades-long agreement that brings Sesame Street, PBS NewsHour, and other notable series into residents’ homes came under threat amid the Trump administration’s funding cuts to and commissioners aligned with the president floated the idea of dumping the programming altogether.

The vote came after a Tuesday meeting that featured several impassioned public comments from Alabamians, who pleaded with board members to keep the educational and arts-oriented programming broadcasting into their homes. Funding will be provided through June of 2026. Had the board cut ties with PBS, Alabama would have been the first state in the U.S. to do so, as budgets are being crunched amid the federal cuts across the sector.

In July, Congress withdrew $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, leaving around 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations with shortfalls. Meanwhile, some state commissioners have joined…