APT Foundation approves $39,500 survey despite public outcry, member pushback

In a special called meeting fraught with politics, public outcry and high tension between board members, the Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority approved a new and contentious survey.

The heart of this issue first emerged back in Oct. 2025, when the Alabama Educational Television Commission, one of Alabama Public Television’s governing bodies, questioned whether the network should sever ties with PBS and lose access to about 90% of its programming including Sesame Street, Newshour and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.