Tell your Representative what public television has meant to you
Contact ONE of your Representatives.
Note: Only one of these Congressmembers represents you. Find out which one here.
Call to Action
Write a letter to your Representative’s D.C. office expressing your fondest memories of PBS TV programs, and asking that they take testimonies like yours to the House floor and read them aloud into the Congressional Record.
Here’s a list of some past PBS kids’ shows to refresh your memories. You can also bring up shows you’ve watched with your children, niblings, and other younger viewers. We do recommend you keep your letters to no more than 3 paragraphs in length for the sake of your Representative’s busy staff.
Let’s not let this moment pass without marking for future generations our love, care, and support for public broadcasting. You may even consider having a young one take a crayon or two and draw a heart around PBS, to include with your note.
Background
Most PBS programs are produced by member stations.
Our local PBS (and NPR) station is KQED. For folks outside of SF, find your local PBS station and your local NPR station.
AdoptAStation.org provides a tool which will show approximately how much individual stations will lose in terms of funding for their public broadcasting needs, and links you directly to their websites for your donations. This tool may be especially helpful for folks you know living in rural areas that aren’t as flush as the Bay Area.
Non-profit news outlet Current provides “a state-by-state look at station grants” from CPB that these stations will lose.
The PBS Foundation has several ways in which appreciative viewers can support their efforts via numerous financial vehicles.
And while you are on their website, check out their PBS 2025 Fact Sheet, which you can share with folks who don’t realize what Trump is taking away from us.
Other Ways You Can Support Public Media
Protect My Public Media
“We are an advocacy campaign dedicated to protecting federal funding for your local public radio and television stations.”
Subscribe for actions here.
The American Archive of Public Broadcasting
“The Library of Congress and WGBH in Boston have embarked on a project to preserve for posterity the most significant public television and radio programs of the past 60 years: The American Archive of Public Broadcasting. The American people have made a huge investment in public radio and television over many decades, calculated at more than $10 billion. The American Archive will ensure that this rich source for American political, social, and cultural history and creativity will be saved and made available once again to future generations.”
Donate here.
Alliance of Rural Public Media
“The Alliance of Rural Public Media strives to inform lawmakers and audiences about the critical work of rural public radio stations across the country. We aim to secure robust federal funding to strengthen the public media system and promote public policies that ensure rural public radio stations can continue providing indispensable local news, emergency services and preservation of local culture through music and other programming.”
“Current is a nonprofit news organization covering public media in the U.S for professionals in the industry. Leaders and staff at NPR, PBS, CPB, public radio and TV stations, independent producers, board members, and national policymakers rely on Current for information, inspiration and insights into this mission-driven field.”
Donate here.
“The Foundation was created to support the Archivist of the United States in developing programs, technology, projects, and materials that will introduce and interpret the Archives’ holdings to the American people and to people around the world. The purpose of the Foundation is to educate, enrich, and inspire a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage through the collected evidence of its history.”
Donate here.
This Week's US Congressional Call Scripts:
