FCC chairman launches investigation into NPR and PBS over alleged commercial violations

02/04/2025 / By Laura Harris

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr has ordered an investigation into National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for potentially violating government rules by airing financial sponsors.
Carr is concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts may be crossing the line into prohibited commercial advertisements through their underwriting announcements.
The FCC chairman emphasized the importance of noncommercial educational broadcast stations adhering to their mission and not operating as “noncommercial in name only.”
Both NPR and PBS have expressed their commitment to following federal regulations and are confident that a review of their programming and underwriting practices will confirm their adherence to these rules.
For years, the FCC has informally tolerated public radio stations airing sponsorships under government guidelines, allowing these stations to become increasingly independent from government funding.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr has ordered an investigation into National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for allegedly violating government rules by airing financial sponsors on air.

In a letter addressed to the presidents of NPR and PBS, Carr expressed his worry that the underwriting announcements aired by these organizations and their member stations might be crossing the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” he wrote in the letter sent on Jan. 30. (Related: Incoming FCC chairman Brendan Carr prepping for battle against censors: “Censorship is about stopping ideas.”)

The FCC chairman, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, stated that “for-profit entities that contribute funds to noncommercial educational stations may receive on-air acknowledgments, but the FCC has long held that these underwriting announcements are for identification purposes only.”

He noted that “Congress is considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming” and that this investigation “may prove relevant to the ongoing legislative debate.”

Carr emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of noncommercial educational broadcast stations, asserting that they must “remain true to their important missions and refrain from operating as noncommercial in name only.”

“In particular, Congress is considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming,” he said in the two-page letter. “For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passing of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.”

FCC has tolerated public broadcasters’ airing of traditional commercials for decades

Eric Nuzum, a former NPR executive and co-founder of the consulting firm Magnificent Noise, explains that sponsorships and underwriting differ significantly from traditional advertising on TV and radio.

“In a commercial, the sponsor can say anything they want and control the message,” Nuzum said. “In an underwriting situation, the station acknowledges the sponsor with basic information, without letting them control the content.”

Meanwhile, NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher and PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger emphasized their commitment to following federal regulations.

“We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules,” Maher said in a press release. “We have worked for decades with the FCC in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States.”

But for decades, both stations have aired sponsorships under government guidelines even though public broadcasters are legally barred from airing traditional commercials, a rule the FCC has informally tolerated for years. This leniency has allowed public radio stations to become increasingly independent from government funding.

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