Show Cause: Saving Elmo, Poldark, Ken Burns, and All That Is Great About PBS

The famous avian philosopher and friend to humanity, Big Bird, once said, “The street is wherever you are.” For more than five decades, that street has been Sesame Street and the Public Broadcasting Service, where generations of children have learned their letters, numbers, and life lessons. Beyond children’s programming, PBS is also the home to great television such as Masterpiece, Nova, Frontline, Nature, and the American Experience. PBS is a cornerstone of American education, journalism, and community connection that deserves our support.

But PBS now faces an existential threat from the current presidential administration’s efforts to eliminate significant funding for public broadcasting, including PBS and NPR. This involves pressure on Congress to rescind previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes funds to local public radio and television stations.

More Than Just Entertainment

PBS stations serve as community anchors, providing emergency broadcasting during natural disasters, hosting local forums on important issues, and creating educational resources that support teachers and parents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools closed nationwide, PBS became a lifeline for families, offering structured learning programming that helped bridge the education gap.

Research consistently shows that children who watch PBS programming demonstrate stronger school readiness skills, including improved vocabulary, math concepts, and social-emotional development. For many families, especially those in underserved communities, PBS provides access to quality educational content that might otherwise be unavailable.

Please join Rain in “showing cause” for PBS and the invaluable role public media plays in our democracy and our communities. We believe in the power of education, the importance of unbiased journalism, and the magic that happens when quality content brings families together.