What prompted PBS to reduce its budget significantly?

The decision by PBS to significantly reduce its budget was largely driven by federal funding cuts. This funding is crucial for public broadcasting and a decrease in these federal allocations directly impacts the financial resources available to PBS, necessitating budget adjustments. When federal support diminishes, it limits the organization's ability to produce high-quality programming, leading to difficult decisions regarding spending and resource allocation.

While viewership decline, increased operational costs, and staff reductions can also affect a network's budget, they are not the primary catalyst in this situation. In this case, the lack of federal funding was the most pressing issue that motivated PBS to reassess and lower its budget.