Cascade PBS recently announced restructuring plans after Congress’s complete defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in July, a news release from PBS stated.
The media outlet, which serves all of western and central Washington, along with British Columbia, has lost $3.5 million from its annual budget, beginning immediately, the release stated.
“This unprecedented federal decision has had devastating effects on more than 300 public television and radio outlets across the country, and we’re not immune here at home,” Cascade PBS president and CEO Rob Dunlop said.
In light of the loss, Cascade PBS will eliminate 16 positions across marketing, creative and editorial departments, representing a 12% reduction in staff, according to the release.
“These are painful cuts to make,” Dunlop said. “It has an impact both on our community and on the staff who’ve served this region with passion. Their work has earned well-deserved industry recognition, and we’re grateful for their dedication and achievements.”
Cascade PBS will support the affected team members with severance services during this transition, including benefits that go beyond organization policy, the release stated.
Cascade PBS will focus going forward on its streaming offerings and the video programming. It will continue producing local series, such as Mossback’s Northwest, The Nosh, Nick on the Rocks, Out & Back, and Art by Northwest, and expand its news show, The Newsfeed, to five days a week.
It will cease production of long-form written journalism.
Additional cuts to public television and radio stations include the loss of services provided by CPB, such as music licensing and shared infrastructure, as well as additional grant funding for programming initiatives.
Stations across the country cannot depend on federal funding returning, even if Congress changes hands, according to the release.
“This is a tremendous loss all around — for our public media team here in the Northwest and for public media across the U.S.,” Dunlop said. “Despite the sudden shuttering of CPB, our commitment remains steadfast: to serve our community, informing and inspiring with the highest-quality national and local programming across news, science, history, culture, the arts and global drama.”
