Arkansas TV’s split from PBS is on pause, but the relationship is hardly on solid ground, and it may take a major donor to save it.  

That’s the situation after the Arkansas PBS Commission voted March 12 to take a 180-day pause from its previous decision December 11 to disaffiliate from PBS.

PBS provides more than half the station’s programming. Disaffiliation would mean the station would no longer broadcast “Sesame Street” or “Masterpiece Theater.”

That first disaffiliation decision in December resulted in a public backlash and an overflow crowd at the March 12 commission meeting. Former Arkansas first ladies Gay White and Barbara Pryor co-chaired a group opposing the breakup. 

The station’s financial challenges began when Congress and the Trump administration ended funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting last July. Arkansas TV lost $2.5 million annually that it had used to pay its PBS dues.

The loss put Arkansas TV in both a funding crunch and a time crunch. The CPB grant was 20% of its budget. It would owe its PBS dues by June 30. In less than two years, the station would be out of money if something didn’t change.

What happens next not clear

Importantly, the 180-day pause would go past June 30. PBS requires a 180-day advance notice prior to disaffiliation. It’s not entirely clear what the commission meant by its vote, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The Commission – which has two vacancies awaiting appointment by Sanders – will have to clarify the issue between now and then.

Chief Executive Officer Carlton Wing told me Tuesday that donors initially rallied around the station. At one point, donations were up 42% over an average year. He said the station sought to avoid laying off production staff, as other states have done.

Wing said the pause doesn’t mean the disaffiliation won’t eventually happen. To prevent it, the money must be found somewhere.

“The donors really did step up, but it wasn’t anywhere close to what was going to need to happen for us to be able to overcome that loss of federal funding,” he said. “And so at this point, it really is going to have to be a large-scale donor that’s going to have to be able to make up that difference.”

Wing, who until last year was a Republican state representative, said the Legislature was barely willing to fund Arkansas TV at previous levels. It took five attempts in the last legislative session before its $5.9 million appropriation passed by one vote. Some legislators believe PBS is too liberal. He said a growing group questions if taxpayers should fund any television programming in this era of abundant choices. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told KARK-TV’s “Capitol View” she’d like to see the station’s shortfall closed “in a different way” than extra state funding.

The Arkansas TV Foundation, a separate nonprofit with its own CEO, has been trying to find those major donors. Meanwhile, the move to ditch PBS led to a loss of 14% of its donors and a 19% drop in donated revenues quarter to quarter.

Wing says public TV still needed

Wing said public television is as necessary as ever. He said it can cut through the noise and provide a place for civic dialogue and educational content. When schools first shut down during COVID, within 10 days it started providing educational programming that it continued the rest of the school year. Arkansas TV also is the only broadcaster with a statewide signal that can communicate with Arkansans during an emergency. 

Wing has said the network can replace its PBS programming with cheaper programming from the other public television sources it already uses. 

Meanwhile, it plans to increase locally produced programming from 5% to 30% of its lineup. Doing so would provide opportunities for underwriters to support the station. New shows include “Arkansas Taste Kitchen,” where a master chef and a dietitian demonstrate how to prepare healthy meals on a budget. Another program, “Taste Buds,” showcases local eateries across the state. The station also is broadcasting long-form interviews with history makers and will televise the state spelling bee. It’s planning to increase its lineup of high school sports. It recently aired a benefit concert for farmers.

“We as Arkansans have to ask ourselves the questions about why is public television here?” he said. “What value does it have for our society right now? And is it worth funding? And I absolutely believe it is because on a dollar for dollar basis, we are cheap at the cost, and we provide a service that can reach three million Arkansans with one television signal. And because we’re educationally focused, it gives us the unique ability to have an impact on lives in a very positive way.”

What will happen before June 30, and afterward?

As they say in television, stay tuned. 

© 2026 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 23 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.