GBH cuts 15 employees after loss of federal funds

GBH is laying off 15 employees in the wake of federal funding cuts, the fourth round of layoffs the public media organization has carried out this year.
GBH chief executive Susan Goldberg said that the cuts will affect employees working on children’s programming as well as staff that work in marketing, finance, and technology, according to a message to employees Thursday that was obtained by the Globe. Some employees will be departing the company immediately, while others will leave in December or January.
“The loss of federal funding continues to ripple through our business,” Goldberg wrote to staff. “We’re grateful for their contributions and that of our entire staff as we reimagine our work to meet this unprecedented moment and transform our business for the future.”
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A spokesperson for GBH declined to comment beyond Goldberg’s note to employees.
GBH has already laid off nearly 70 employees this year. It cut nine employees from WORLD Channel in May, and then laid off 45 employees in June, citing financial challenges including federal grant cuts. Those cuts totaled 7 percent of the organization’s workforce at the time.
In July, the Boston-based media organization announced it was laying off 13 employees from its PBS history program “American Experience” after President Trump signed a bill rescinding funding for public media.
The federal funding cuts went into effect Oct. 1. On the same day, GBH launched a three-year, $225 million campaign called “Fund the Future” to help replace the loss of federal dollars.
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“Congress told us to ‘go fund ourselves,’ and that’s exactly what we are going to do,” GBH chief executive Susan Goldberg said in a statement at the time.
NPR and PBS stations across the country have been hit hard by the loss of federal funding. Some have started to close down, while others are cutting staff and programming and trying to negotiate lower fees for national programming.
The cuts are expected to have a larger impact on smaller and more rural stations where federal funding makes up a significant portion of annual revenue. But even larger organizations such as GBH, where federal funding accounted for roughly 8 percent of operating revenue, will take a hit.
GBH is the largest producer of PBS programming in the country, and relies on fees paid by other stations to license its content. If other stations continue to close or cut back on programming, less money will flow to PBS, GBH, and other stations that produce national shows.
The loss of federal funding comes on top of broader financial challenges that GBH — and all traditional media organizations — are facing. The organization also laid off staff a year ago, citing stagnant revenue and rising costs as radio and television outlets increasingly compete with podcasts, streaming, and social media for audiences.
Aidan Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@globe.com. Follow him @aidanfitzryan.