On Friday, CPB awarded up to $57.9 million over five years to Public Media Infrastructure, a new independent nonprofit formed by PRX, American Public Media Group, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, New York Public Radio, and the Station Resource Group. The grant gives PMI authority to manage interconnection services for public radio stations nationwide, with a mandate to expand digital distribution, audience measurement, and sponsorship technology. On Friday evening, the network filed for a temporary restraining order in federal court, seeking to block CPB from moving PRSS funding to PMI. But less than two weeks later, Merritt informed NPR that CPB would instead direct funding to a new entity, provided it had no ties to NPR. While CPB, NPR, and PBS presented a united front in fighting to preserve federal subsidies, NPR’s own reporting indicates CPB and PBS leaders privately told lawmakers they could live with NPR alone being excluded from subsidies.