“PBS News Weekend” aired its final episode on Sunday, a decision linked to funding cuts from President Donald Trump and the Republican Party that impacted public media last summer.
Anchor John Yang announced the show’s conclusion, indicating it would be off the air “for the time being.” He explained that the cancellation stemmed from reductions in federal funding for public media, thanking viewers for their support on weekends over the years.
This update about the show’s end was initially shared during the previous Friday’s episode of “PBS News Hour.”
Host Amna Nawaz mentioned that due to federal budget cuts, difficult choices had to be made regarding staffing and programming. She noted, “This Sunday, our PBS News Weekend team will be off the air.”
Yang, joining Nawaz and co-host Jeff Bennett, reflected on the show’s contributions. Nawaz expressed gratitude, saying that the contributions of the team to storytelling and news coverage were exceptional. Bennett reiterated this sentiment, highlighting the dedication of the team each week.
Yang praised the PBS News Weekend crew for their work, pointing out that they tackled significant stories like the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and significant political events, saying, “This small but mighty team handled these stories week in and week out.”
Moreover, Yang mentioned that he would step back from his full-time role at PBS by the end of the month, though some team members would continue with other projects. PBS confirmed the cancellation to FOX News Digital.
Last summer, Trump and Republican lawmakers succeeded in eliminating public media funding from the spending bill, which impacted the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), responsible for funding NPR and PBS. Recently, CPB’s board announced plans to disband the organization after 58 years due to these budget cuts.
