Overview
- Arkansas TV announced this week that it will remove Washington Week from its lineup, shift PBS NewsHour from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and replace morning PBS reruns with locally produced shows beginning in July.
- Donors who raised $2.1 million to cover PBS dues say the commission accepted their funds on June 4 to keep PBS programming available and are now appalled that the station has reduced the shows' prominence.
- CEO Carlton Wing frames the changes as a board-led push to grow local content from roughly 5 percent to 30 percent of airtime and to place Arkansas shows in earlier, higher‑visibility time slots.
- Arkansas TV says national PBS programs will remain accessible on the PBS app and the station’s WORLD channel, but supporters warn moving NewsHour to late night will cut its reach for viewers who make it part of their evening routine.
- The dispute follows the network’s December rebrand from Arkansas PBS to Arkansas TV, a loss of federal public-broadcasting support, and raises new questions about donor trust, statewide access to national news programming, and the commission’s governance choices.