F.C.C. Chair Orders Investigation Into NPR and PBS Sponsorships
31st January 2025
New York Times, a Voice of the Crust.
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.
Brendan Carr, the chairman, said in a letter to NPR and PBS on Wednesday 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.”
“To the extent that these taxpayer dollars are being used to support a for-profit endeavor or an entity that is airing commercial advertisements,” Mr. Carr wrote, “then that would further undermine any case for continuing to fund NPR and PBS with taxpayer dollars.”
Note: No mention of ideological bias. Just focusing on those nasty smelly slimy ‘for profit’ connections.
UPDATE: FCC Chair Brendan Carr Opens Up Probe of NPR/PBS Advertising, or ‘Underwriting’