West Virginia Public Broadcasting will close a television studio and master control facility in Beaver, the station said Wednesday.
Members of the state network’s governing board, the Educational Broadcasting Authority, voted unanimously Wednesday to close the facility, which the broadcaster was no longer using, according to GM Scott Finn. WVPB estimates the closing will save the network $100,000 per year, Finn said in a post on the station’s website. No station broadcasts will be affected.
The West Virginia state legislature cut WVPB’s state funding by $1 million earlier this year, prompting layoffs at the network. The network has reduced staff from 72 to 54 and has shut down some TV translators since its budget was cut, Finn said.
The EBA also asked WVPB to open a downtown bureau in Beckley.