Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, informed NPR and PBS this week that he had ordered an investigation into the practice of their member stations airing sponsorships.
Mr. Carr told Katherine Maher, NPR’s chief executive, and Paula Kerger, PBS’s chief executive, about the investigation in a letter on Wednesday. Mr. Carr, who was appointed by President Trump, said the investigation would focus on the stations’ practice of airing sponsorships.
“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” Mr. Carr said in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
Ms. Maher said in a statement that NPR’s sponsorships, also known as underwriting, “complies with federal regulations.”
“We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules,” Ms. Maher said. “We have worked for decades with the FCC in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming, and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States.”
PBS said in a statement that it was proud of “noncommercial educational programming,” and worked “diligently to comply with the F.C.C.’s underwriting regulations.”
Mr. Carr said in the letter that he planned to notify members of Congress about his plans.
“In particular, Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming,” he said, adding that he did not believe taxpayer dollars needed to go to the organization because of shifts in the media marketplace.
“To the extent that these taxpayer dollars are being used to support a for profit endeavor or an entity that is airing commercial advertisements, then that would further undermine any case for continuing to fund NPR and PBS with taxpayer dollars,” he said.
The F.C.C. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
