WBEZ and 12 other public media stations that are examined by the FCC

At a time when the parent company is fighting against financial difficulties, WBEZ belongs to more than a dozen public media stations, which the Federal Communications Commission examines because of its underwriting practices, an investigation that relies on the federal money on which the ward rely on.

On January 29, the FCC, Brendan Carr, sent letters to the national public radio President and CEO, CEO Maher, and the PBS President and CEO, Paula Kerger, and advise them that 13 of his member stations, including WBEZ, were examined in on-air, which were generally referred to as “underwriting”.

On February 28, WBEZ received a letter from the FCC enforcement agency, in which she applied for detailed information on Underwriting announcements that are broadcast on the ward and gave them 30 days to answer. According to a WBEZ spokesman, the station has given the corresponding details about the FCC by the end of March.

“We can confirm that we have received the letter from the FCC enforcement office by requesting detailed information on Underwriting announcements that comply with WBEZ Air guidelines.

According to the annual financial statements, the station received an estimated 1.47 million US dollar for federal financing for the financial year until June 2024.

Public broadcasting stations are prohibited from leading commercials. However, they may radiate underwriting spots for companies that are said to be non-symbolic announcements that recognize their financial support. The FCC has no direct monitoring of NPR and PBS, but it is responsible for the assessment of 1,500 public stations that contain FCC licenses that enable them to radiate on public air waves.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS programs could violate the broadcast of commercials.

Carr said: “I see my own part no reason why the congress should continue to send dollars to NPR and PBS in view of the changes in the media market.”

The FCC examination and the threat to pull or limit, funds, come for a turbulent time for the public media in Chicago, the owner of WBEZ and the Sun-Times. On Tuesday, the non-profit organization said that 35 public media employees in Chicago, most of the Sun-Times, had registered in January as part of the purchases.

Carr was first appointed FCC by President Donald Trump in 2017 and was then in the Republican minority of the independent five -member commission. He was rewinded by President Joe Biden in 2023 and increased as chairman in 2025.

Carr, who criticizes diversity efforts and wrote a chapter in the 2025 project of the Heritage Foundation for the conservative policy of Heritage Foundation, has come together with other FCC members, including the Democrat Geoffrey Starks.

On Tuesday, Starks announced in a statement that he will resign from the agency in the spring, even though his term of office ends in 2027. At the beginning of this year, Stark Carr criticized his decision to examine the sources of financing from public broadcasting.

Starks is not the only commissioner to question Carr or believe that he acts on behalf of the Trump administration. On January 30th, one day after Car had initiated an investigation into NPR and PBS, the FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez made an explanation in which the investigation was characterized as “further administrative efforts to weave the power of the FCC).