Two Former Arkansas first ladies are joining a citizen-led push to keep PBS programming on the air statewide on public television stations. A new nonprofit known as Friends of Arkansas PBS announced this week the two co-chairs as Barbara Pryor and Gay White. As the syndicated, statewide multimedia news organization Talk Business & Politics reports, Pryor is the widow of former Democratic Governor David Pryor, while White is the widow of former Republican Governor Frank White.
On December 11, 2025, the Arkansas Educational Television Commission (AETN), voted 6-to-2 to cut ties with PBS on July 1, 2026. That decision came after the loss of $2.5 million in programming and operational funds. That development came after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) lost federal funding in summer 2025, and would begin the process of shutting down by early 2026.
The approaching end of PBS programming at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, also prompted a name change, from Arkansas PBS to Arkansas TV (ATV). Executive Director and CEO Carlton Wing, stated to members of the Rotary Club of Little Rock, aka Club 99, on January 13, 2026, that he does not expect more funding from the state legislature. He also told reporters that ATV had lost 600-700 donors since it began making changes.
Instead of PBS programs, Wing offered a different vision for the future, one in which ATV will broadcast content distributed by American Public Television (APT) and the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), for less than $400,000 a year, at a fraction of the cost. And Wing said they would also increase local programming from 5% to as much as 30%.
But the Friends of Arkansas PBS are not giving up hope just yet. This new nonprofit describes itself as “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 group’s first event takes place this Thursday, February 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Arkansas Library in downtown Little Rock. That’s where the Friends of Arkansas PBS will host Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS and Education, Sara DeWitt for a screening of PHOEBE & JAY followed by a moderated discussion about the impact of PBS KIDS and its future in Arkansas. Audience Q&A to follow.
The group’s website, friendsofarkansaspbs.org also urges visitors to sign a petition which will be sent to the AETN. And there’s confidence people will do just that, based at least partly on a 2025 study conducted by YouGov, which revealed more than 7 in 10 Arkansas residents stated PBS provides excellent community value. The same study also showed 78% of respondents considered PBS KIDS the most trusted educational children’s media brand.
