Following PBS’ Dec. 2025 announcement to rebrand to Arkansas TV, as well as end the airing of PBS content in July this year, a community lead organization has stepped up to save local programming.
With former first ladies Gay White and Barbara Pryor recently announced as co-chairs for the citizen-led organization, the website for the Friends of Arkansas PBS states that it, “is a group of local PBS fans and financial supporters. We want to see PBS continue as a free, statewide resource that serves Arkansas and connects us to the rest of America through national PBS programming.”
The organization had its first community forum on Feb. 19 in the Central Arkansas Library System’s main library.
“PBS is an excellent window to the world for our small state … It is sad to see our world being narrowed in this way. Please don’t cut us off from broadening our horizons,” White said on the group’s website.
Aside from speaking with attendees, the forum also welcomed PBS Kids Vice President and general manager, Sara DeWitt, who spoke with the audience as well as held a special screening of one of the network’s newest shows, “Phoebe and Jay.”
DeWitt said in a video posted on the organization’s Facebook, “The rescission vote by the federal government last year was difficult for all stations across the country and for us at PBS, we’ve all had to really think about, how do we move forward from this moment? I think that everyone’s trying to figure out how to move forward, how to make sure we can be viable. I would hate to see Arkansans lose access to PBS programming, to PBS Kids shows. This is a lifeline for so many families.”
In July 2025 President Trump and Congress passed a rescission bill cutting approximately $1.1 billion of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which ultimately led to the non-profit organization dissolving in January of this year.
Pryor said in the video, “Anything in these smaller communities that reach out and teach children and adults, I just think it’s unbeatable.”
According to the organization’s website, “+60% of Arkansans say they opposed federal defunding of PBS, +70% of Arkansans say PBS provides excellent community value, .05% of the state’s annual budget to have PBS programming in Arkansas,” and the network has carried on, “55 years of local programming alongside PBS favorites.”
DeWitt said in the video, “We’re hearing from a lot of parents about how meaningful the content is for them, how it helps their children learn, how it helps them feel seen.”
Anna-lee Pittman, a PBS supporter, said in the video, “It’s foundational to children’s learning. In our house Sesame Street is every single day, and Elmo is the favorite character in our house. As a parent I feel like I can trust it as a source of good quality content that my kid is receiving.”
A petition to send a letter to the Arkansas PBS Commissioners is available on the Friends of Arkansas PBS website at https://www.friendsofarkansaspbs.org. As of March 2, the petition has 1862 signatures.
The organization’s next stop will be at the Arkansas TV Commission Meeting at 10 a.m. March 12 at the AETN Offices located in Conway, Arkansas.