Some funding tips for panicked leftists and the partisan hacks at PBS

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Peter Heck

Jul 22, 2025

Thirteen years after Barack Obama's re-election campaign mocked Mitt Romney for his threats to "Defund Big Bird," Republicans have finally made good on their promise to stop taxpayer subsidies for public broadcasting. Unbridled panic has ensued:

The hysterics are odd given that PBS/NPR defenders have repeatedly claimed that government subsidies were such a minuscule part of their budget. If that were so, one might expect this move to induce yawns rather than yelps.

But instead, like Planned Parenthood, which screamed bloody murder (pun intended) when they were defunded, supporters of public broadcasting's leftward lean are beside themselves.

Should they be? The truth, of course, is that some PBS/NPR content is bad. Notoriously bad. So absurdly bad that one of SNL's most celebrated clips of all time involved Alec Baldwin, Ana Gasteyer, and Molly Shannon hawking "sweaty balls" on NPR.

Government subsidies have insulated these public broadcasting entities from the need to produce quality content that the market demands. Removing that crutch undoubtedly spells the end of the road for much of that poor content. But many defenders of PBS and NPR vouch for the quality of much of their programming, arguing that it is first-rate, on par with the fare produced by for-profit media. Though I can't verify such claims myself, now they can prove it in a competitive marketplace.

For those who fear the end of sunny days sweeping the clouds away, this could quite possibly be the greatest thing that ever happened to both PBS and NPR. How so?

A few suggestions:

Seize the moment. The "defunding" of your operations has generated high levels of awareness and sympathy from many left-wing, anti-Trump corners of the culture. Consider:

Now is the time for a full-court press to push for donations. Start with Jamie Lee Curtis - she's loaded! But don't stop there. Demand that every Democrat politician who defended you so valiantly on the floor of Congress, hailing your importance, bemoaning the severe consequences associated with losing what you offer, publicly put their money where their mouths have been. Pressure them to prove their loyalty by writing big checks from their PACs, and don't fear the appearance of partisanship. You don't have to any longer!

No more humiliation for NPR's boss when she appears in hearings on Capitol Hill and has her radically far-left views and unhinged tweets read into the Congressional record:

No more ham-fisted attempts to identify yourselves as locally trusted sources of reliable, breaking, even emergency news, necessary for the survival of rural communities:

It's a new day for you, forever free from the futile attempts to prove non-partisanship. The media world may be crowded with left-wing information sources, but the competition you face is anything but intimidating.

Consider the large number of advertisers who were pouring money into Stephen Colbert's sinking left-wing ship, and are now looking where to go.

Compete for them!

Consider all the companies frustrated by wasting their ad dollars on a network whose brightest stars include ratings-basement dwellers Chris Hayes, Joe Scarborough, and Lawrence O'Donnell.

Compete for them!

Consider the unending corporate struggles of CNN, once the lone wolf in left-wing news dissemination, but now unable to produce marketable content and a credible host.

Compete with them!

Now, at long last, NPR and PBS can earn their place - not on the taxpayer's dime, but on the strength of their ideas. Who could possibly mourn such a tantalizing opportunity?


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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.