Conservative Group Calls for FCC to Strip NPR Broadcast Licenses

A conservative advocacy group is urging the Federal Communications Commission to strip NPR affiliates of their broadcast licenses, arguing the network no longer fulfills its public-interest obligations after losing federal funding earlier this year.

In comments for the FCC’s broader Empowering Local Broadcast TV Stations to Meet Their Public Interest Obligations proceeding, a rulemaking initially intended to rebalance power between national networks and local affiliates, the Center for American Rights asked the Commission to launch a formal inquiry into the future of public broadcasting.

While most comments focus on commercial relationships and television, the Center’s submission extends the debate to publicly funded broadcasters, asserting that NPR and PBS affiliates are functionally no different from network-owned stations and should be held to the same licensing standards.

The filing, authored by Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr, contends that Congress’s decision to eliminate Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding after more than five decades of taxpayer support is an implicit finding that NPR and PBS “failed to serve the public well.” The group said the FCC should now determine whether either network meets the “public interest, convenience, and necessity” standard required of licensees, and whether their spectrum should be reallocated.

“If PBS and NPR cannot prove a viable long-term business model as national networks—and if their individual affiliates cannot show long-term business models in each market—then this Commission needs to consider whether those channels (i.e., that spectrum) will become available in the near future for other potential licensees or uses,” the filing states.

The Center’s recommendation goes further than a simple financial audit. It calls on the FCC to require both networks to submit full financial disclosures, donor data, and “wind-down or transition plans” in markets where stations are expected to close. Citing warnings from America’s Public Television Stations that defunding would “decimate public media” and force local affiliates “to go dark,” the group said transparency is essential to protect the public’s access to spectrum.

The comment also ties ideological concerns to regulatory accountability, claiming that NPR and PBS programming have alienated much of the US population and no longer represent the diversity of political or cultural perspectives expected of public media.

The CAR filing comes as NPR and three member stations are in court, arguing that the Executive Order initially cutting federal funds to NPR and PBS through the CPB undermines editorial independence and access to federal support.