Update: This story was updated to include data about the number of workers employed at PBS North Carolina.
PBS North Carolina will offer separation agreements to most of its permanent employees, the network announced today.
The network is headquartered in Research Triangle Park (RTP), with 140 employees at 12 stations across the state. Approximately 125 employees work in RTP, according to a PBS NC spokesperson.
Due to recent federal funding cuts totaling almost $9 million, the organization will undergo a “reorganization through reduction” program that is “part of cost-cutting measures designed to minimize the potential scope of involuntary staff reductions,” the station said in a press release.
Additionally, the organization, which is the third largest member station in the United States, will enact both “revenue-generating and cost-saving measures,” including reductions in nonpersonnel expenses, a hiring freeze, and the elimination of vacant positions.
The move comes after the nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it was shutting down Friday after Congress stripped it of $1.1 billion in funding in a package of spending cuts passed last month. CPB helped support PBS and NPR, as well as more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations across the country.
For PBS North Carolina, this means an annual loss of $4.8 million, “support that has been instrumental to providing educational programming and critical emergency communications infrastructure,” the release states.
“We did not create this—it was dictated by Congress,” said David Crabtree, the CEO of PBS North Carolina. “Nonetheless, we will play the hand we’re dealt and continue to be good stewards of our budgets.”
Last year, PBS North Carolina received $29,607,593 in total revenue, according to its website. While the bulk of that—52 percent—came from private donors via grants and individual gifts, 35 percent came from the state, and federal support comprised 13 percent.
PBS North Carolina originally launched as WUNC-TV in 1955, 12 years before CPB was established. Its four broadcast channels include PBS NC, the North Carolina Channel, the Rootle 24/7 PBS KIDS channel, and the Explorer channel. It also offers in-person engagement opportunities and digital-first social and online content and provides the infrastructure for the state’s emergency services communications.
“While this is a time of fundamental change for public media, it reminds us of our deep roots in the communities we serve,” Crabtree said. “Today, PBS North Carolina still belongs to the people of this state.”
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