HONOLULU (Island News) -- Despite calls from House Republicans to defund PBS and NPR, leadership at PBS Hawai‘i said the changes will not affect how they serve the local community.
At a DOGE subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for defunding and dismantling of the company that provides PBS and NPR with federal funds. In the meeting titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable,” the agenda targeted PBS and NPR with accusations of bias along with intent to defund the broadcasters.
President Trump is in agreement with the push to dismantle and defund the parent company for NPR and PBS which leaves the broadcaster in Hawaii at stake of their federal funding.
Ron Mizutani, president and CEO of PBS Hawaii, responded to these federal actions:
“PBS Hawai‘i has been here for more than 60 years and public media has had bipartisan support in Congress for more than five decades. One of the reasons is trust. According to the 2025 Proof Insights Survey, PBS has been named America’s most trusted institution for 22 years in a row. That’s important to understand.
Public media funding helps PBS Hawai‘i remain a vital and accessible resource for our community. While any reduction in funding will affect how we do business, it won’t change our mission or our identity as Hawai‘i’s only locally owned statewide television station. We will continue to provide reliable local and national content, public affairs and educational programming.
At PBS Hawai‘i, all decisions are made here at home with our local community in mind. Our focus will always be on creating and delivering thoughtful and balanced content that brings people together. We are dedicated to lifting voices and making sure everyone feels heard, valued and included. PBS Hawai‘i is, and will always be a welcoming space for all of Hawai‘i.”
With federal funding at stake for PBS Hawai‘i, this is how much they currently receive:
“Approximately $1.65 million or 20 percent of our projected revenue in Fiscal Year 2025 will come from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. We use 100 percent of our CPB grant to cover the purchase and broadcasting costs of national programs watched on PBS Hawai‘i each day,” Mizutani explained.
Regarding a violation the Federal Communications Commission investigating that PBS, NPR and their member stations' may not be following the federal law prohibiting noncommercial educational stations from broadcasting commercials:
“We are proud of the noncommercial educational programming we provide and our staff works diligently to comply with the FCC’s underwriting regulations. We’re confident any review of our local programming and underwriting practices will confirm PBS Hawai‘i adheres to these rules,” Mizutani stated.
