‘Arthur’ helped children manage the joys and challenges of growing up. Without federal funding, these programs may cease to exist.
President Donald Trump signs order to cut PBS and NPR funding
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to stop directly funding PBS and NPR.
On a sunny April day in 1993, I was finishing the art for “Arthur’s New Puppy,” another book in my series, when the phone rang. It was Carol Greenwald, a producer at WGBH, the Boston-based public media producer that creates many award-winning children’s programs for PBS.
After Carol and her kids had seen me give a talk at a local library, she wanted to make an animated TV show based on my books to inspire reading. What a great idea! Nearly 30 years after the broadcast debut of “Arthur,” it is still beloved and one of the longest-running animated children’s programs ever.
Kids programming is the beating heart of PBS – 90% of parents believe PBS Kids content is a trusted and safe source for children to watch television, play digital games and mobile apps. And PBS Kids channels are available to 98% of U.S. TV households.
The Trump administration on May 1 signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and all federal executive departments and agencies to stop funding PBS (and NPR), threatening not just “Arthur” but educational programming for kids everywhere.
Public media is the last safe place for children
About 50% of children in America are not enrolled in preschool. Given that the unregulated digital landscape for kids can be toxic, dangerous and for profit, with advertisers trying to sell everything from bad snacks to toys their parents might not be able to afford, public media is the last safe place for our children.
PBS Kids’ shows, funded through Ready to Learn grants from the Department of Education – which are now at risk – are created with child psychologists and education experts to ensure the betterment of all children.
It is noncommercial and free, accessible over broadcast even in remote areas, there to provide any child – regardless of means or circumstance – the ability to learn and grow, all while being entertained.
What “Arthur” has always done well is reflect real life without bias and give kids the skills to manage the joys and challenges of growing up, whether that’s how to be a good friend, having a parent deployed in the military, understanding autism or welcoming a new baby into the family. In one episode, Buster (the bunny character) even invites viewers into his lungs to understand what it’s like to have asthma. And episodes like these have really mattered.
As many as 46.1 million Americans would lose access to public media
I get many thank you letters from “Arthur” fans. Parents say the show helped them discuss their values and ideas with their children. Children – now adults – say “Arthur” inspired them to realize their dreams or helped them fit in.
One letter that will always stay with me was from someone who was a second grader in New York City on his school bus the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Witnessing the horror at the World Trade Center and hugging his Arthur plush animal that he had brought for show and tell, Arthur gave him comfort, that day and throughout his entire childhood.
But without federal funding, programs such as “Arthur” may not exist. And while each of America’s 356 local public television stations would be affected by funding cuts, those serving rural, island and tribal communities would face the most severe consequences.
A 2023 study by Protect My Public Media found that without funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 26 stations would go off air, and 23 more stations would need to reduce their coverage areas, cutting off rural audiences due to the high costs of reaching these communities.
That’s as many as 46.1 million Americans losing access to public media, which plays a critical role in public safety, education and connecting communities – for everyone, everywhere, every day.
I can’t imagine Elwood City – or any place – without it.
Marc Brown is the Emmy and George Foster Peabody award-winning author of the children’s book series “Arthur,” and the cocreator of the PBS Kids series of the same name.
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