PBS Charlotte at a crossroads
Plus: Snow scenes across Charlotte, Economic development office at The Pearl; Library pauses CEO search; Immigrant population grows across metro; Charlotte's most romantic restaurant?
Good morning! Today is Monday, February 2, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Hi Ledger readers, Ashley here. This weekend’s snow brought me back to Raleigh’s epic snowstorm of January 2000. I was 8 years old and sledded, for hours, down the crazy-high hill in my neighborhood on a cafeteria tray. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories — and it was heartwarming to see so many Charlotteans making similar memories this weekend on all of the fluffy, powdery snow we got.
Much of the Charlotte region is closed or on a delay today because of the amount of snow we got this weekend. Stay safe!
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Q&A: PBS Charlotte’s general manager shares how the station is responding to federal funding cuts while focusing on local programming and community support
PBS and public media have been in the spotlight lately, and not in a way anyone asked for. When federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was eliminated, NPR and PBS stations across the country faced sudden cuts and hard choices.
At PBS Charlotte, that meant losing $1.2M overnight — a major hit for a station with a $4M cash budget and just 14 full-time employees. But instead of retreating, General Manager Amy Burkett says the station is leaning into its signature material: long-form storytelling and education.
In a live conversation at The Sharon at SouthPark on Jan. 5, The Ledger’s executive editor, Tony Mecia, sat down with Burkett to talk about funding, local programming and how a local PBS station competes in a world dominated by YouTube and Netflix.
Here are the highlights from the conversation, edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: I’m guessing when you started in television, things were a lot different. But what is it like nowadays? Because you have YouTube, you have TikTok, anybody can be a media creator. Now, how has that affected what you all do?
I think it makes us even more relevant and important because folks who really want to learn — our motto is to channel your curiosity with PBS Charlotte … You stay young and fresh because you’re always learning, you’re always reading a new book, you’re always learning something new. And that’s when you know you can trust what you see on PBS Charlotte, and you can’t always trust everything you see online.
Q: For a long time, PBS stations, National Public Radio and local radio stations received money from the federal government for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. There’s no secret that last year those funds were cut. What has that meant for your station?
It meant a lot of grey hair and some extra pounds for me. It was hard because it happened overnight. I’ve been in public media long enough that I was around in 1999. I saw the early days of Newt Gingrich, who tried to zero out public television. It had happened many, many times, and it attempts, but it didn’t happen.
But this time it felt different, and this time it felt real, and in my heart, I knew it was going to happen. OK, we lost overnight $1.2M. Our PBS dues — we have to pay for the air rights for all of your favorite national shows — and that bill happened to be $1.2M.
… It was a hard fall. But again, I can’t say enough about this extraordinary community. The community stepped up. We had over 2,000 new donors who came out, and we don’t have the end of year numbers in yet because I just opened the mailbox and it was the biggest stack of support that I’ve ever seen in my soon-to-be 13 years here in Charlotte. So, I couldn’t be more grateful for the community. We were around $850,000 before I left for the holidays, toward that $1.2M loss. I believe we’re going to make it.
Q: Are there any upsides to that? Has it forced you to focus your message or double down on certain things? Do you see any silver linings?
The silver lining is beautiful. People like you who watch and care, and the average donation is still $10 a month. But we have over 17,000 folks who do that, and I’m hoping we can hit 20,000 and be able to continue to serve.
We haven’t eliminated any shows. We haven’t done any layoffs. A few people have left because they got scared and they voluntarily left, and I have not filled those positions because it wouldn’t be fiscally responsible for me to do so. Everyone at the station wears a lot of different hats.
Q: So going forward now, what’s your vision for the next five years, 10 years? What’s it going to look like?
Can we just look at one year? … You used to do five-year strategic plans, and now they say 18 months because the key to any type of leadership these days is the pivot. You’ve got to analyze. I analyze the numbers, I look at our ratings data, and if things aren’t working in four to six weeks, I pivot and change. Again, we will double down on serving our community. We’re trying to create more education opportunities to help more kids that are in need throughout our area.
That’s important to us because we know it’s important to have a vibrant community, that we let these kids get off to a good start from an education standpoint, and we just have to do more with less. But big companies are doing that, too. That’s the next year, and then every six weeks, we pivot and change our strategy of fundraising based on what’s working and what’s not.
Q: Do you see any emerging trends? Is there anything coming down the pipeline when you go to national conferences? What are they talking about as the next thing that we’re going to be seeing?
The challenge is we haven’t figured that out yet. All the new things over the last few years that we’ve tried have failed miserably.
Q: Like what?
We’ve tried some unscripted programming — that’s very popular. Reality TV, but on a PBS higher level, not “Love Island” or anything. But we’ve tried a little reality TV that hasn’t worked.
Drama is the other thing that I’d like to mention. People love their dramas on Masterpiece. PBS is what it’s all about on Sunday nights, so what are newer dramas that we can bring people to? But we don’t wanna abandon the past. We love period drama. And so we want to do more of those.
… One of the things [National PBS] eliminated was “American Experience” because it did not have the eyeballs, and so that’s what they’re doing as funds have shrunk. We always tried to be all things to all people, but you can’t afford to be all things to all people, so you got to watch the data, and you’ve got to give them more of what they’re tuning in for.
… We do not have a TikTok account, just saying, but we have an Instagram account, and it’s very popular. So knowing your audience, knowing the age, serving them with what they want to be served with — those are the things that we try our best to double down on.
🎧 Tune in to The Charlotte Ledger Podcast to listen to the full conversation with Amy Burkett:
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⛄️ Scenes from across a snow-covered Charlotte
Charlotteans were out in full force this weekend amid freezing temperatures and, in some places, a foot or more of snow. Whether sledding, building snowmen or walking to their neighborhood bar, people across Charlotte enjoyed the dry, powdery snow that rarely falls in the city. This weekend’s snowstorm has prompted many offices and schools, including Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, to close today. Sunshine and highs near 40 today are expected to melt more snow, but today’s overnight low of 20 (or even colder) will create more icy conditions Tuesday morning, according to longtime weather reporter Steve Lyttle. Things will improve a little each day, but it’ll take a while, he said. (Photos submitted to The Ledger by readers)
Local economic development groups to set up shop at The Pearl
Economic development leaders, including from the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and NCBiotech, will soon have a physical presence at The Pearl, the innovation district in midtown anchored by Charlotte’s first four-year medical college.
Tracy Dodson, chief operating officer and head of economic development at the Alliance, told The Ledger the goal is to set up a “one-stop shop” for biotech companies and entrepreneurs that are taking space at The Pearl. The office, which will be shared among the economic development groups involved, will be within The Pearl’s Connect Labs flexible lab and office space, operated by Wexford Science + Technology, the district’s real estate developer.
Details of the office aren’t finalized yet, Dodson said, but she has yet to go to The Pearl and not meet somebody new. As one example, she was introduced to a entrepreneur who relocated from Boston to Charlotte during the pandemic — Dodson said the goal is to understand the challenges facing that kind of person in Charlotte, which historically hasn’t been known as a health innovation hotspot.
Resources extended to companies and entrepreneurs could include providing information and connections on capital, incentives, real estate — or even where to find intellectual property lawyers or accountants in Charlotte, Dodson said.
The goal would be to have economic development leaders use the space but also to rotate other people in ancillary functions.
“If we’re there, whether it’s investor relations or the economic development team of the Alliance, and we’re walking around the floor — hey, what do you need, what are you up against?” Dodson said.
Ostensibly, having a physical presence at The Pearl means the Alliance and other Charlotte economic developers could also more easily get in front of companies considering the region for investment, signaling that health tech and innovation are becoming bigger recruitment priorities for the agencies.
Dodson said there’s more work to be done to “really get our strategy down” on life sciences and health innovation, but added the Charlotte region needs to be specific in what its strengths and challenges are in this space.
“If you look at where The Pearl has gone with this first building and the medical school, it’s really around med tech,” she said, citing IRCAD North America’s surgical training center as the anchor and the types of groups that have since followed. “That’s different than the partnership they have in Winston-Salem, which is more about regenerative medicine. That’s different than what Raleigh is.” —Ashley Fahey
Library pauses new CEO hiring until the spring; adjusting search for ‘today’s rapidly changing environment’
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has been led by an interim CEO for over eight months. While the library system says it’s been on the hunt for a permanent replacement over the past few months, the board of trustees has paused its search until the spring.
Former CEO Marcellus “MT” Turner resigned in April for “family reasons,” he said, after four years in the position, and his last day was May 2. Shortly afterward, the board appointed Angela Myers, the library’s chief financial and administrative officer, to step in as interim CEO.
Since then, the library’s board of trustees has been actively conducting a search and has met with several candidates over the past few months, marketing officer Krystel Green said in an email to The Ledger.
But Green added that “the board has decided to pause the search briefly while they assess what they have learned and evolve the leadership profile required for today’s rapidly changing environment.”
The search is expected to resume this spring — long before the completion of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new main branch at Sixth and North Tryon streets in uptown, which is expected to be completed in 2027. For now, operations continue under Myers as interim CEO. —Lindsey Banks
🏆 Don’t forget: Nominations are open for 40 Over 40
The Charlotte Ledger’s 40 Over 40 Awards is our annual recognition of people making a real difference in our community during what many would call their “second act.” If you know someone 40 or older who lives or works in Charlotte and deserves the spotlight, nominate them today.
The nomination deadline is Friday, Feb. 20, at 11:59 p.m. Here are the rules and criteria for nominations.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board. Please double check with organizers for events scheduled this week that could be impacted by the winter weather:
WEDNESDAY: “High Stakes Down Ballot: Why Voting Matters in 2026,” 6-7 p.m., at Independence Regional Library, 6000 Conference Dr. As the North Carolina 2026 primary approaches on March 3, The Election Hub is hosting an educational session on key issues at stake for citizens in Mecklenburg County. We will have community leaders provide an overview of the issues, challenges and opportunities in healthcare, education, social services and the judicial system. The panel, moderated by Tony Mecia, will then discuss how the upcoming election impacts those issues. Free.
FRIDAY: “Senior Scholars Weekly Meetings,” 10-11 a.m., at Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Rd. A library has stood on the corner of Sixth and North Tryon Streets in Uptown Charlotte since 1903 when industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $25,000. In the spring of 2027, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will open its much anticipated new Main Library in the same location. Join the members of Senior Scholars as Jenni Gaisbauer, Chief Development Officer and Executive Director of the Library Foundation, reveals the wonders in store for Charlotteans. $5 for guests. $25 annual membership.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY: “Charlotte Master Chorale: Rachmaninoff Vespers,” 7:30-8:30 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, 501 N. Tryon St. on Friday. At Davidson College Presbyterian Church, 100 N. Main St. on Saturday. Step into the transcendent world of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, a spiritual and sonic landmark of the choral repertoire, performed by the Charlotte Master Chorale. Grounded in reverence, this meditative work envelops audiences in serene beauty and profound emotion, inviting listeners to connect more deeply with the human voice and spirit. $30/ticket.
FEBRUARY 24: “The Echo Foundation Award Celebration: AI For Humanity,” 6-9:30 p.m., at Carolina Theatre, 230 N. Tryon St. The Echo Foundation’s Award Celebration honors extraordinary global and local leaders whose courage and compassion reflect our mission to advance human dignity and justice. This year’s event features Eli Collins, Vice President of Product at Google DeepMind and will honor Andrea Smith, a distinguished Charlotte leader and retired Bank of America executive. $95 (plus fees) Event Only, $300 (Event and Reception).
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Immigrant population grows in Charlotte area: New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord metro area is home to an estimated 328,237 foreign-born residents, and roughly 59% of them are not American citizens. (Observer, subscriber-only)
Hundreds protest federal immigration enforcement: On Friday, protestors outside the federal courthouse in uptown spoke out against recent actions by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis. Protesters condemned the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and the use of violent force by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, agencies that have had a presence in Charlotte recently. The Charlotte demonstration was part of a nationwide strike and day of action. (WFAE)
Hornets on a winning streak: The Charlotte Hornets are on a six-game win streak — their longest since 2016 — which has the NBA team within 2.5 games of 10th place in the Eastern Conference. This weekend in uptown, the Hornets won their fourth straight game against the San Antonio Spurs, with the final score 111-106. (The Charlotte Post)
Apparently, Steak 48 is Charlotte’s most romantic restaurant: It was the only Charlotte spot to land on OpenTable’s just-released list of the “Top 100 Romantic Restaurants.” The roundup is based on more than 9 million verified diner reviews, factoring in ratings, reservation buzz, five-star raves and how often guests tagged their night out as “romantic.” But the 100 restaurants aren’t ranked, so we can’t say exactly where Steak 48 in SouthPark falls among its love-struck peers nationwide — just that it made the cut. (Full List)
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