Anonymous Donor Gives $3 Million to Sustain Arkansas Public Television — but It Comes with a Catch

Arkansas PBS rebranded as Arkansas TV after losing $2.5 million in federal funding

NEED TO KNOW

• Viewers and donors pushed back against the changes, resulting in a vote to delay the split

• An anonymous $3 million pledge requires matching donations to help restore funding and maintain PBS content in Arkansas

An anonymous donor pledged $3 million to keep public television alive in Arkansas, but it comes with a catch.

Following the shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting earlier this year, the state of Arkansas was the first in the country to vote to split up the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Former state legislator Carlton Wing became the executive director at Arkansas PBS in September 2025, noting that the loss of roughly $2.5 million in federal support made them adjust plans.

He rebranded it to Arkansas TV, leaving PBS behind.

“It's been a tough mission here of late,” Wing said, according to ABC affiliateKATV. “The federal funding cuts changed the entire landscape of public television.”

However, the viewers and donors didn't go quietly. They wanted PBS' programs instead of more locally focused entertainment.

“I love Craig O'Neal, but he is not Ken Burns. I don't think trading Craig O'Neal forKen Burnsis what we need to do. 49 other states figured it out, we've got money in the state, and I think we need to do the same thing," supporter Lisa Handley said. O'Neal is the host of an Arkansas TV show, per the outlet.

The Arkansas Television Commission ultimately voted 4-1 on March 12 to delay the split for 180 days, providing more time to secure funding.

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Arkansas TV Foundation CEO Marge Betley stated that they lost 3,738 donors over the past few months, according to theArkansas Advocate.

“We had a lot of donors walk away because what they were hoping to pay for with their donations was PBS,” Senator Clarke Tucker said. “What this does is it creates an incentive and a mechanism for those donors to come back to the table.”

The anonymous donor's pledge stated that others should also contribute to save PBS.

On Wednesday, April 22, Senate Bill 77 was advanced by lawmakers. The bill allows up to $550,000 in private donations to be matched by Arkansas' public television network.

“There was a bad audit that some legislators had concerns about. I think those financial issues have been worked out," Tucker said, per KATV.

The $3 million donation would arrive in $1 million increments for three years.

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Senator Jonathan Dismang said, “It just ensures that there's buy-in from the public and that we're able to make sure we have the funding needed.”

Read the original article onPeople

byMario Satorik

in

May 05, 2026

Anonymous Donor Gives $3 Million to Sustain Arkansas Public Television — but It Comes with a Catch

Arkansas PBS rebranded as Arkansas TV after losing $2.5 million in federal funding NEED TO KNOW Viewers and donors...

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How Ana Navarro is working around getting bleeped on 'The View'

NEW YORK –Ana Navarrois ready to tape her new podcast anytime, anywhere.

TheCNNcontributor andABC "The View"cohost, 54, launched"Bleep! with Ana Navarro"earlier this year. While on Easter break in Costa Rica on April 9,First Lady Melania Trumpissued a statement at the White House in which she deniedhaving any involvementwith convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Navarro, armed with mobile recording equipment, hopped into action. And while the timing of the Trump's press conference befuddled some, Navarro believes that there was clearly a plan in place.

"She obviously didn't write that stuff herself, right?" she tells USA TODAY. "It was full of legalese. So yes, I think she got advice. I think she got help. But because of that, I've now done a couple of breaking news episodes of the podcast from a portable thing I have."

Navarro, anoutspoken criticof the Trump administration, teamed up with iHeartMedia and Hyphenate Media Group for her new podcast. Hyphenate was launched by actressEva Longoriaand media executive Cris Abrego. Longoria also serves as an executive producer of Navarro's podcast.

"There are not that many Latino voices breaking down news," Navarro says about why she continues to lean in to these news cycles. "One of the things that most touches me is anytime I'm in the supermarket or I'm at the airport and some young Latina comes up to me and tells me how much it means for them to have somebody like me speaking up on behalf of our community.

"It's like a privilege and a duty."

'The View' inspired Ana Navarro's new podcast

The title of Navarro's podcast is a playful jab at her other her day job.

"The problem is that I get bleeped at'The View,'"she explains. "Sometimes I try to say things in Spanish. So now (ABC is) to the point where if I say 'queso,' they will bleep me out because they don't know what I'm saying and they're nervous."

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She will not be censored on her own show.

Navarro's goal with the podcast is to both interview interesting subjects and break down news items without the typical restrictions of cable or broadcast TV, where a cohost or panelist may only get a fraction of a 7 minute segment to speak.

But she still enjoys her work on TV, despite the occasionally "bleep" and her commute between New York and Miami. Navarro believes authenticity is the key to any successful show and is one of the reason why "The View" has lasted on ABC for almost 29 years.

"It's women from different backgrounds, different generations, different races, ethnicities, different takes on life, giving their opinions," she explains. Cohosts on the view range from age 36 (former White House strategic communications directorAlyssa Farah Griffin) to 83 (actress-comedianJoy Behar).

Navarro also credits the team behind the cameras, whom she calls "an entire family." She says some have worked there since the show's launch with Barbara Walters in 1997. "They run like a fine tuned Swiss watch and they keep the shows going."

Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform a salsa-inspired "Die with a Smile" during his Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Puerto Rican singer and actor Ricky Martin performed in front of monobloc chairs like the one on Bad Bunny's “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" album cover, Martin sang a from “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” a song that compares Hawaii and Puerto Rico’s colonization.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny brought the iconic pink “Casita” to the Super Bowl halftime stage and invited some famous friends including Karol G, Cardi B and Jessica Alba.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny brought the iconic pink “Casita” to the Super Bowl halftime stage and invited some famous friends including Young Miko and Pedro Pascal.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform a salsa-inspired "Die with a Smile" during his Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform a salsa-inspired "Die with a Smile" during his Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform a salsa-inspired "Die with a Smile" during his Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Bad Bunny's vibrant halftime show was unforgettable. See it up close

Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga perform a salsa-inspired "Die with a Smile" during his Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

Ana Navarro still wants to talk about 'The Bad Bunny Bowl'

It has been more than two months since the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots inSuper Bowl LX. Navarro couldn't tell you who played or what the final score was (29-13). But she can't stop replayingBad Bunny's halftime performance. She says that his halftime show,Karol G's Coachella setand other forms of entertainment are a part of her "concerted effort of doing things that take me away from doomscrolling about the things that are going on in the United States."

"I actually thought the halftime show itself was not tremendously political," she opines. "It was cultural and there were so many different threads and aspects of Latino culture that were woven in. I love the way that he brought Ricky Martin as an ode to those that came before him and that opened doors for him.

"There were some people so hung up here in the United States because he was singing in Spanish, because he's Bad Bunny, because he's Puerto Rican, which is part of America, but whatever," Navarro continues. "And then I see him filling up stadiums all over the world. And you see kids singing his songs and dancing to his music in villages in Africa. And you realize music is supposed to unite us, not divide us."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ana Navarro found a fix for getting bleeped on 'The View'

byMario Satorik

in

May 04, 2026

How Ana Navarro is working around getting bleeped on 'The View'

NEW YORK –Ana Navarrois ready to tape her new podcast anytime, anywhere. TheCNNcontributor andABC "The View"cohost, 54, ...

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Fewer AAPI adults report hate incidents but racism concerns linger, new poll shows

Fewer Asian American and Pacific Islander adults are reporting overt anti-Asian attacks than during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, anew AP-NORC/AAPI Data pollfinds, but many still worry about racial discrimination.

A new poll out Monday, asAAPI Heritage Monthbegins, fromAAPI Dataand TheAssociated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Researchfinds that about one-quarter of AAPI adults have personally experienced a hate crime or incident in the past year, such as verbal harassment or physical assault. That's consistent with a survey conducted last summer, but down from anOctober 2023 pollwhere 36% said they were victims of an act of abuse tied to their race or ethnicity over the prior year.

PreliminaryFBI data also reflects a declineas the pandemic receded into the background. Based on information submitted by law enforcement agencies, anti-Asian hate crimes and bias crimes overall fell between 2024 and 2025.

However, about 3 in 10 AAPI adults in the new survey think it’s “extremely" or "very” likely that they’ll be a victim of discrimination based on their race or ethnicity in the next five years.

“The key is there's been a decline but a stabilization. So, it hasn't declined since last year, ” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director ofAAPI Data. “Both hate crimes and hate incidents are still an issue in our community.”

Racial discrimination and rhetoric amplified in anti-immigrant climate

The poll finds that fewer AAPI adults report experiencing verbal assaults compared to the survey from two years ago.

About 1 in 10 say they have been called a racial or ethnic slur in the past 12 months, down from roughly 2 in 10 in October 2023. Around 15% say they have been verbally harassed or abused by another person in the past year because of their race or ethnicity, down from 23% in 2023.

Advocates report that the tone of the rhetoric has shifted away from COVID-19-related tropes toward anti-immigrant sentiments.

“We're seeing things like ‘Go back to China’ still. But, it's more like ‘ICE is going to deport you,'” said Stephanie Chan, data and research director at Stop AAPI Hate. “The rhetoric that’s being used to justify very harsh and aggressive immigration enforcement, all of this is also feeding into anti-AAPI hate persisting.”

Being made to feel like a foreigner is something Ambar Capoor, 52 and India-born, has encountered even in his diverse Los Angeles neighborhood. Last year, while waiting in line at a restaurant, a white man pushed him unprovoked to get to the front.

Capoor said the man told him: “You don’t belong here. You should go back to your country."

Capoor, who is a naturalized citizen and has lived in the U.S. for 26 years, tries to shrug off these racist interactions.

“None of this stuff normally bothers me,” he said. “If somebody starts an altercation, that I’ll walk away from.”

But Capoor, a Democrat, thinks the divisive political climate has emboldened people to openly say racist things.

Nosheen Hamid, 36 and a stay-at-home mother with a toddler, has lived in Salt Lake City since 2009. In her native Pakistan, her family was considered a minority because of their Catholic faith. In her community in Utah, which is mostly white, she says she gets racially profiled, too.

A couple of months ago, a door-to-door salesman approached her home and seemed surprised she lived there.

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“He was like, ‘Are you renting here?’ He asked me a few times and it got to me for just a second,” Hamid said. “People didn't expect me to be in the space that I was, work-wise, school-wise.”

Dealing with discrimination and economic stress

Withinflation and higher gas pricesas the Iran war continues, AAPI adults are much more preoccupied with economic concerns than discrimination. Around 4 in 10 say personal finances are a “major source" of stress. And about 2 in 10 say the same thing about health concerns and relationships with family or friends. In contrast, only about 1 in 10 say discrimination is currently a major source of stress in their lives. Around half don't see discrimination as a source of stress at all.

John Magner, 58, is half white and also of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry. He says he actually faces more discrimination from Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders around his home of West Jordan, Utah, who don't believe he is part Hawaiian. The state is home to around 60,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, according to U.S. census data.

Last year, a Pacific Islander customer at the hardware store where Magner works called him "cracker and a little wannabe Pacific Islander.”

But he doesn't dwell on those interactions. He is more focused on juggling family expenses, working and getting a master’s degree in counseling.

“I work full-time but we’re struggling,” Magner said. “Inflation and then also some family stuff that's gone on, having to pay medical bills. It's just bills.”

Ramakrishnan, from AAPI Data, also considers whether there is less scapegoating of immigrants of color because people understand that it has no bearing on the current economy.

“The likely reasons for those economic struggles have nothing to do with race or immigration,” he said. “They have to do with other factors, like tariffs, war on foreign policy, AI data centers. Those are all the things that people see that are driving up costs.”

Rise in hate incidents within some Asian groups

Hate crimes and incidents are often underreported, and experts note that some groups under the AAPI umbrella may be experiencing incidents at a higher rate than others.

"If you look at it in the longer term, (hate incidents) are still really high compared to what it was like pre-pandemic, Chan said, referring to the FBI data.

There has recently been a rise in incidents among South Asians, according to FBI data and Stop AAPI Hate. The largest spikes tend to occur “in moments of South Asian visibility,” such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s election, Chan said.

Between the current political climate and being Indian, Capoor has been carrying his U.S. passport card on a lanyard for the past six months.

“After seeing all the reports of actual white folk getting arrested and thrown into camps and taking them like three days to get out of it,” Capoor said. “I don’t have friends in high places. I don’t have the correct skin color.”

The poll of 1,228 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted March 23-30, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, which are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

byMario Satorik

in

May 04, 2026

Fewer AAPI adults report hate incidents but racism concerns linger, new poll shows

Fewer Asian American and Pacific Islander adults are reporting overt anti-Asian attacks than during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic...

Read More