F.C.C. Chair Orders Investigation Into NPR and PBS Sponsorships
January 30, 2025
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has waded into the politicized debate over NPR and PBS, ordering up an investigation that he said could be relevant in lawmakers’ decision about whether to continue funding the public news organizations. Chairman Brendan Carr said in a letter to NPR and PBS that the inquiry would focus on whether the news organizations’ member stations violated government rules by recognizing financial sponsors on the air. Mr. Carr said that NPR and PBS stations operate as noncommercial broadcast organizations, but that they may be airing “announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
F.C.C. Chair Orders Investigation Into NPR and PBS Sponsorships