President Trump’s new head of the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an investigation of NPR and PBS, with an eye toward unraveling federal funding for all public broadcasting.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” Chairman Brendan Carr wrote on Wednesday to the presidents and chief executives of NPR and PBS, Katherine Maher and Paula A. Kerger, respectively. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”

The FCC does not directly regulate the two networks. Instead, it evaluates the actions of roughly 1,500 public broadcasting stations across the country, which hold licenses granted by the FCC for use of public airwaves for radio and television, even in the digital age.

  • Bieren@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    This isn’t about ads. This isn’t about them getting too much funding….they aren’t. This is about them not blasting the propaganda 24/7 and making massive profits for the talking Cheetos butt buddies.

  • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    How about investigating non-profit churches for illegal political activity? Oh weird how that’s not a priority.

    • schemes@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Amen, hallelujah, praise Jeebis! These nonprofit evangelical douche-lords need to start paying some taxes.

  • DrFistington@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    NPR doesn’t have ads, they just mention the names of underwriters. Not only that, but they’ve been tame, if anything, in regards to their coverage of Trump.

    If this is what he’s wasting government time and resources on, We’re at the 4th box

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Talibangelicals going after knowledge and more honest reporting? Wait until they go through the museums and remove anything critical or against their agenda.

  • Wren@lemmy.worldM
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    2 months ago

    Bets that somehow, for some reason, they’ll be found to have violated the law as a result of their not violating the law- and trump’s Bizarro World goons will figure out how to shut them down because of It.

    • athairmor@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Sesame Street sold out to HBO who eventually dropped them like a ton of bricks.

      They may not make it but not because of this. They were relying on DVD sales until streaming killed that and HBO picked them up. HBO got the new content first, PBS got reruns.

      Who knows what will happen, now.

    • alekwithak@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s okay, Sesame Workshop is a separate non-profit, and makes approximately jillions in merchandizing annually. I’m sure it will continue on in some bastardized, heavily privatized form.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Well then I stand by what I said because Big Bird behind a paywall doesn’t really count in my opinion.

        Sesame Street is supposed to be for every kid.