The USA’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is at risk according to Paula Kerger, President of the non-commercial organisation. Kerger, speaking at a TV critics even on July 30th, said her not-for-profit broadcasting operation was at risk because of a looming threat of government funding being pulled.

The PBS stations depend on public donations and a government grant. Kerger said that stations which broadcast in rural parts of North America largely depended on this government cash. Alaska’s coverage by PBS would be impacted.

In May, President Trump proposed a budget that cut much of the previously allocated $445 million funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the PBS oversight organisation.

“PBS itself will not go away, but a number of our stations will,” Kerger said, “There isn’t a Plan B for that. For all of us in public media, we have linked arms to make an effective case because we know what’s at risk if that funding disappears.”

PBS has more than 350 member stations, many of which are operated by volunteers at universities or local colleges. Its transmission mantra is that its programming is free from influence from advertisers.

Other posts by Chris Forrester:

1. Thuraya-3 suffers major problem
2. AST SpaceMobile hit by Class Action
3. Optimism under threat at SES
4. Rivada visits Terran Orbital’s manufacturing HQ
5. Avanti wins spectrum debt obligation case
6. SpaceX breaks records for re-use launchers
7. IRIS2 already in trouble?
8. Intelsat contemplates next steps
9. SpaceX: 2.7m customers and $180bn value

Categories: Blogs, Broadcast, Inside Satellite