Like many parents, Andrew David keeps a close eye on what programs his 6-year-old son is consuming, often watching shows on YouTube, Netflix, or Disney+ with him or sitting nearby and listening in. But when he looks over and sees the PBS Kids logo, he feels he can stand down.
โIt is one thing that we donโt have to worry about,โ said David, 42, a history lecturer at Boston University who lives in Waltham. โItโs going to be fine, and more often than not, heโs going to like it.โ
David is among the generations of adults who themselves were weaned on โMister Rogersโ Neighborhood,โ โReading Rainbow,โ and other PBS classics at a time when public broadcastingโs main competition was largely Bugs Bunny and other famous cartoon characters. Heโs not alone in his confidence of the public broadcaster: A YouGov survey earlier this year found that 88 percent of parents agreed that PBS is a trusted source for kidsโ shows and games.
But the Trump administrationโs war on public broadcasting for alleged political bias has come down hard on childrenโs programming.
At the same time parents and families are faced with an ever-expanding menu of commercial programming, amateur video, and AI slop, PBS is under some of the greatest pressures of its half-century existence. After PBS Kids lost nearly $30 million for childrenโs programming due to federal funding cuts, public media executives say theyโre straining to cover the costs of developing and distributing childrenโs programming that can break through the noise.
โI worry that PBS will have fewer opportunities to hold the attention of kids and families,โ said Shelley Pasnik, senior vice president of external affairs at the nonprofit Education Development Center. โAttention fragmentation is something that is not unique to this moment,…