Program Monitor Panel closes

I tried the Editing Workspace. I tried a number of workspaces. It doesn't matter if I click Ctrl+M or go File->Export->Media. Once I'm in the export tab, I can click back to edit and see the Program Monitor on the left monitor. Once I click "Send to Media Encoder" it is no longer there. This is my standard workspace:

<<Okay, when I click Ctrl+M>>

Sorry to be a nit-picker, but I thought the idea was that you still wanted to keyboard (press) Ctrl+M. That's still the case, right?

I can't get it to happen. I tried a bunch of things according to your comments, having started with the default Editing workspace, and putting the Program monitor (the main one inside PP right?), undocked and standing alone on my seconds monitor. I only have PP running, so I see the monitor all the time. I couldn't get it to change anything with the Program monitor. I couldn't get it to minimaize. What happens again, if you run the default Editing workspace. Select it, then, double click or select to run the unchanged version. Drag your Program monitor to the 2nd screen and what results?

Okay, when I click Ctrl+M, the Export dialog tab opens. When this happens, the Program monitor minimizes. I can't see it. If I click back to the edit tab, it comes back. I can click back and forth between the Edit and Export tabs and it minimizes and maximizes with each click. If I click 'Send to Media Encoder", the Export tab closes and the Edit tab appears. The Program Monitor is not there at that point. I have to reset the workspace to get it to come back.

When I've done it, the only item on my second monitor is the program monitor. So, maybe it's the language you are using, but being 'gone' makes me think you have to go looking for it. Whereas if you had said, <as I click "Send to Media Encoder"> IT CLOSES, ie: you see it close. Is it visible when you ctrl-m, and then send to media encoder and watch it close?

As soon as I click "Send to Media Encoder", I go back to Premiere, and the Program Monitor Panel is gone.

I tried this. I opened the default EDITING workspace, I dragged the Program monitor onto my second monitor. I clicked back on the timeline and ctrl-m, I <Send to Media Encoder>, I tried completing the export, and then part way into the export and clicked back on PP and the Program Monitor was still visible on the 2nd monitor. That being alone on the 2nd monitor. Am I missing a step in trying this, as things seem normal here.

Okay, I tried expanding the Premiere Pro window across both monitors. When I "Send to Media Encoder" in this workspace, it does not close the program monitor panel. It's kinda awkward looking and functioning. I can't maximize the window or it reverts to one monitor. I had to make the screen grab small, but you can see under the program monitor panel, my desktop is visible. If I drag the window down, I don't have access to the timeline controls at the bottom of that panel. I would really like this to work like it did a few weeks ago before it changed.

It does not. I tried it with a preset workspace and it didn't close. I took one of my custom workspaces and docked it and it did not close. That's interesting.

Does it close in your preferred workflow if the monitor is a panel on your main screen?

You can change the shortcut ctrl+m to Send to media encoder if you want.