Arkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS, plans to disaffiliate from federal agency after funding cuts

DECEMBER 11, 2025

The governing board of the educational television network formerly known as Arkansas PBS voted Thursday to separate the agency, rebranded as Arkansas TV, from the national network.

Six of the eight members of the Arkansas PBS commission voted to notify the federal Public Broadcasting Service of its intent to disaffiliate effective July 1, 2026, the start of the state’s 2027 fiscal year. The commission voted in June to renew its membership for the current fiscal year after considering disaffiliation to save the agency $2.3 million in national dues.

The network lost $2.5 million in programming and operational funds after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting lost federal funding this summer. CPB announced in August that it would start the process of shutting down, to be complete in January.

Federal funds are the primary source of the agency’s payment of dues, Marge Betley, CEO of the Arkansas PBS Foundation, said in September.

Snip

https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/12/11/arkansas-tv-formerly-arkansas-pbs-plans-to-disaffiliate-from-federal-agency-after-funding-cuts/