Headline Roundup February 1, 2025
FCC Chair Opens Investigation into NPR and PBS
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched an investigation into the sponsorship practices of NPR (Lean Left bias) and PBS (Lean Left).
The Details: Brendan Carr, the new FCC chairman, wrote a letter first obtained by the New York Times (Lean Left) in which he claimed it’s possible NPR and PBS “are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.” Both organizations have pushed back on the investigation, claiming they follow the FCC’s underwriting rules.
For Context: NPR whistleblower Uri Berliner accused the news organization of bias in 2024. Since then, NPR and PBS have been increasingly criticized by Trump and other conservatives for bias. The organizations air programming on roughly 1,500 member stations requiring licenses approved by the FCC. The licenses prohibit programming from airing advertisements.
How The Media Covered It: The Hill (Center Bias) mentioned that most of NPR’s funding comes from private sponsorships and personal contributions rather than tax dollars. CNN (Lean Left) delved deeper into Trump’s relationship with the media and his criticisms of purported bias. Fox News (Right) quoted Trump and added that the point of the investigation is to limit federal funding into the organizations.
Featured Coverage of this Story
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation into media outlets PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) over member stations potentially airing "prohibited commercial advertisements," according to a letter obtained by The New York Times.
"I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials," FCC chair Brendan Carr wrote, according to the Times. "In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements."
The FCC allows businesses to support noncommercial radio and...
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/File
Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission’s new chairman, on Wednesday ordered an investigation into the sponsorship practices of NPR and PBS member stations.
In a letter obtained by CNN, Carr said he was “concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials.”
“In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements,” Carr wrote in the letter, which was sent to NPR chief executive Katherine Maher and PBS president and chief executive Paula Kerger.
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The chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching an investigation into NPR and PBS over their alleged “airing of commercials.”
“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing
commercials,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr wrote to the news outlets in a letter first obtained by The New York Times. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
