Employees of the joint organization that operates The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS are being offered voluntary buyouts due to the recent loss of $1.1 million in annual federal funding.
“This is a significant and painful cut, and it’s not unique to us here in Rhode Island — it’s reshaping public media organizations across the country,” Pam Johnston, president/CEO of the joint public media organization, wrote in an email Wednesday following an afternoon meeting with employees.
The deadline for enrolling in the buyout is Sept. 5. If it doesn’t attract enough participation, layoffs may be necessary, Johnston said.
“In response to the government defunding,” Johnston wrote, “we have scrutinized our budget and reduced expenses wherever possible while navigating the complexities of our merger. We’ve also received an outpouring of support from our community and have hosted two of our most successful pledge drives ever. Despite these efforts, it is not enough to close the financial gap.”
The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS merged last year. The joint public media outlets plan to become known as Ocean State Media this fall.
The lost funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provided a relatively small, but significant percentage of the support for Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio. Most of the organizations’ support comes from listeners and groups in their service area.
“This change, this lack of funding, it’s going to change us, but it will not stop us,” Johnston said in an interview. “Our commitment to our community is unwavering and we will go on.”
Asked if the need to reduce spending will lead to significant staff cuts for public media in Rhode Island, Johnston said, “it’s hard to say when it comes to numbers, how many people. But we have to, just like any other organization — we have to operate within the realities of our budget.”
Johnston said it’s unclear if the lost funding may return with a new administration in the White House.
Rhode Island PBS maintains an investment account seeded with more than $90 million it received after it auctioned off electromagnetic spectrum it controlled in 2017.
Asked if some of that money can be used to close the current funding gap, Johnston said, “The investment fund — it’s an endowment — and that money, governed by our board, has very specific guardrails around it to ensure that we, this organization, exist for many years to come. That money is not earmarked for operational funds. It really is a strategic nest egg so that we will continue to exist and serve our audiences for the future. So it’s not as though we can dip into that for this difficult moment.”
Johnston praised the staff of Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio for how they have responded to the merger, the loss of federal funding and other challenges.
“I am so deeply proud of, and impressed with, the team and thank them for who they are,” Johnston said, “and how they continue to create amazing content here in Rhode Island and beyond.”
