A day after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey weighed in on the fate of PBS on Alabama Public Television, the network’s governing body agreed to keep the popular educational content on the air.
In a public meeting Tuesday, APT’s Alabama Educational Television Commission extended the programming agreement with PBS through June 2026.
The action brought a sigh of relief to many supporters of PBS and APT, who raised alarm over the fact that some commissioners were recommending disaffiliating with the content provider behind Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the Ken Burns documentaries, NOVA and PBS News Hour.
The proposition had the potential to cost APT thousands of supporters and millions in donations.
If APT ultimately chooses to disaffiliate from PBS, they will be the first network in the country to do so.
APT became the nation’s first educational television network in 1955, and has been in partnership with PBS since its founding in 1969.
APT Commissioners Les Barnett and Ferris Stephens had brought the idea of severing ties with PBS after the Trump administration slashed funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
The meeting, which continued Tuesday morning, also gave supporters of PBS the chance to comment. APT viewers have been writing letters to the governor and other officials to show how much some audience members value PBS.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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