PBS North Carolina has begun laying off employees this week in response to the elimination of federal funding for public media.
It’s unclear how many staffers at the statewide public TV network are losing their jobs, or which positions have been cut. Sources familiar with the situation said some affected employees were notified Tuesday that their jobs are being eliminated.
In an emailed statement, CEO David Crabtree says employees will be notified by next week, and more details will be released at that time.
Crabtree says he tried to minimize the number of positions cut by implementing a hiring freeze, pausing projects and cutting non-personnel expenses.
"However, due to the scope of the budget shortfall — driven by the loss of federal funds, possible state cuts, and rising operational costs — a significant organizational restructuring is necessary, and we are moving forward with an involuntary Reduction in Force program," Crabtree said.
"These decisions are difficult. Every person who works here has played an important role in shaping who we are as an organization. We are committed to treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve throughout this transition."
The move comes after PBS NC offered buyouts last month to most of its 140-member staff. Crabtree told WUNC at the time that layoffs could be possible depending on how many staffers accepted a severance package. He did not provide a specific number of positions that might have to be cut, but "it could be in the neighborhood of 25 to 27%."
Only five employees took the buyout offer, Crabtree said Wednesday. Some of the employees laid off will still receive a severance pay package.
The cuts come after PBS NC lost $4.8 million per year from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or 15% of the station's overall budget, after Congress approved President Donald Trump’s “rescission” request to eliminate all federal funding for public media.
Crabtree has said that despite an uptick in donations, additional fundraising from viewers and supporters won't be enough to offset the loss of federal funding.
Layoffs have become common across many public TV and radio stations. According to a public radio consultant who’s tracking the moves, more than 300 jobs in public media have been eliminated since the vote in Congress.
The national PBS network itself laid off 15% of its staff earlier this month.
PBS NC also faces possible cuts to its state funding. The state Senate's original budget proposal called for a $4 million cut to PBS NC, but that wasn't included in the House plan, and no final budget compromise has been reached.
PBS NC and WUNC Radio are both public media broadcasters, but the two are fully separate from each other. While WUNC Radio is an affiliated entity of UNC-Chapel Hill, the station receives no state or university funding. WUNC has been impacted by the defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which makes up about 5% of the station’s budget. WUNC has not cut any staff positions in response to the funding loss.
