Public media win: CPB revives $36 million deal with NPR after TRUMP pressure

Tuesday, November 18, 2025- In a major turnaround, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has agreed to reinstate a $36 million multi-year contract with NPR for satellite infrastructure — money it had previously withdrawn under pressure from the Trump White House. The move comes as part of a settlement that ends a lawsuit brought by NPR, which accused CPB of improperly yielding to political influence.

Under the agreement, NPR will drop its legal claims against CPB, while CPB will release the funding so NPR can continue running its Public Radio Satellite System for the next five years. As part of the deal, NPR is also waiving all satellite‐service fees for local stations for the next two years — a big relief for public radio outlets across the country.

NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher called the settlement a “victory for editorial independence,” saying it protects the network’s ability to serve local stations without undue political interference. 

CPB, for its part, claims it “prevails” in the settlement, even as it continues to promote its future through a new initiative called Public Media Infrastructure (PMI). Meanwhile, public media’s broader fight continues — NPR’s constitutional challenge to Trump’s earlier executive order on CPB funding is still pending in court.