The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cornerstone of American culture for three generations, announced Friday it would take steps toward its own closure after being defunded by Congress — marking the end of a nearly six-decade era in which it fueled the production of renowned educational programming,

Congress defunds the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, forcing public broadcasting shutdown after 58 years of cultural programming.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down its operations after the loss of federal funding, marking the end of almost six decades as the entity that distributed grants to public media, PBS and NPR.