Pubcasting job, salary cuts continue; WNED is latest victim

The Western New York Public Broadcasting Association is cutting staff and salaries. WNED’s eight corporate officers took a 7.5 percent pay cut; all other employees had a 5 percent cut. Nine positions of a total 93 full-time employees were eliminated. Six of those had been vacant. The service includes WNED-TV, ThinkBright TV, and two radio stations, classical WNED-FM and WNED-AM, mainly news. WNED also is facing a $900,000 drop in state funding. Officials from New York’s eight other public TV stations are currently lobbying the governor and state legislature to amend the cuts.