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FCC Chairman Carr probes sponsorships at NPR, PBS stations

Under federal law, licensed non-commercial TV and radio stations are not allowed to run traditional commercial advertisements.

Under federal law, licensed non-commercial TV and radio stations are not allowed to run traditional commercial advertisements.

The former headquarters of program distributor PBS in Arlington, Virginia, as it appeared in 2020. (Photo by Thomson M. via Wikimedia Commons)
The former headquarters of program distributor PBS in Arlington, Virginia, as it appeared in 2020. (Photo by Thomson M. via Wikimedia Commons)

The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into the use of sponsorships to financially support some news and community-oriented programs aired on PBS and NPR member stations across the country.

The probe could impact as many as 1,500 radio and television stations that air NPR and PBS programming. NPR and PBS do not own broadcast stations, nor are they considered radio or TV networks in the traditional sense; instead, they operate as programming distributors, acquiring and sending TV and radio shows to independently-operated, licensed radio and TV stations across the country.



Most stations that carry NPR and PBS programming are licensed by the FCC as non-commercial education (NCE) broadcast stations. Under federal law, FCC-licensed NCE broadcaster are not allowed to air commercial advertising on behalf of for-profit entities. Most stations support their operations through a mixture of grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public donations, foundational grants and sponsorships.

On Thursday, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said his investigation intends to focus on the use of sponsorships by NCE broadcast stations.



“For-profit entities that contribute funds to NCE stations may receive on-air acknowledgements, but the FCC has long held that these underwriting announcements are for identification purposes only,” Carr said. “These announcements should not promote the contributor’s products, services, or businesses, and they may not contain comparative or qualitative descriptions, price information, calls to action, or inducements to buy, sell, rent, or lease.”

Carr said he was “concerned” that some NPR and PBS member stations might be violating federal law by running sponsorship announcements that resemble traditional commercial spots. He cited no specific examples of TV stations that might be doing this, or sponsorship announcements that might be against the law.



A spokesperson for NPR said the organization is “confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules,” while an official at PBS said the organization was working diligently to “comply with the FCC’s underwriting regulations.”

Carr said he intended to raise the issue with Congress, which is in the middle of considering whether federal funding for NPR and PBS member stations through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting should be reduced or eliminated.

The letter is the latest example of Carr targeting broadcast operations that have drawn the ire of political conservatives over the past few years. Carr, an appointee of President Donald Trump during his first term in office, was elevated to the role of chairman following Trump’s inauguration into a second, non-consecutive term earlier this month.

Following his appointment, he reinstated complaints against three licensed TV stations — one each owned by ABC, CBS and NBC — over political content aired during the 2024 presidential election cycle. In each case, Trump and Carr complained the stations engaged in election-related interference, claims that the owners of those stations deny.

Carr has declined to reinstate a complaint against a Fox-owned television station in Philadelphia that invoked that company’s settlement with a voting machine company over alleged defamation made by guests of the broadcaster’s cable news channels following the 2020 presidential election. The FCC tossed the challenge against that station around the same time it dismissed similar complaints against the ABC, CBS and NBC stations.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is a nationally-recognized, award-winning journalist who has covered the business of media, technology, radio and television for more than 11 years. He is the publisher of The Desk and contributes to Know Techie, Digital Content Next and StreamTV Insider. He previously worked for Thomson Reuters, the Walt Disney Company, McNaughton Newspapers and Tribune Broadcasting. Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn by clicking or tapping here.
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