Funding cuts in Indiana prompt stations to reduce statewide newsroom

Indiana’s public media stations will reduce their statewide news collaboration in response to the loss of their state funding. 

The WFYI Public Media Collective announced Tuesday that it had learned IPB News will not renew contracts with staffers. A news release from Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, the consortium of the state’s radio and television stations, also described “proposed strategic changes and reductions for the IPB News statewide reporting collaboration” but did not provide specifics. 

“This is an incredibly difficult decision, but with the loss of state funding, individual stations have to make some very difficult decisions to address funding shortfalls and are focused on sustaining services to their local communities,” said Mark Newman, IPBS executive director, in Tuesday’s release.

Newman declined to comment on staffing decisions because IPB News is part of a collective bargaining unit. 

“This restructure does not mean the end of the statewide news collaboration. It will continue,” Newman said in an email to Current. 

“Stations will still share news stories and information, but with the loss of state support, and the ongoing uncertainty at the federal level, we must rethink and reorganize how we approach statewide news reporting,” he added. 

What that collaboration will look like going forward is to be determined, Newman said. 

“Suffice it to say we will be scaling back the service and relying more heavily on local stations,” Newman said. 

The workforce reduction follows a late-session vote by state lawmakers to eliminate funding for Indiana’s 17 stations in the biennial budget. The cuts, approved in April to take effect in fiscal year 2026, zeroed out $3.675 million for both 2026 and 2027. PBS Fort Wayne moved to reduce its workforce before the cuts took effect July 1.  

The website for WFYI in Indianapolis lists eight IPB News newsroom employees, but it was unclear at Current’s deadline how many of those staffers will lose their jobs. 

When IPB News launched in 2015, 11 stations participated in the collaboration. CPB provided a grant of $609,000 to cover the costs of hiring eight new reporters. 

Statehouse bureau chief Brandon Smith also posted Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, about reductions to IPB News. 

“Obviously not news I’m happy to share. Really proud of our team and all the work we’ve done,” he posted. “If you know of any job opportunities, send them my way!”

WFYI Public Media Collective, which is represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said on X that it expects to negotiate with WFYI on behalf of bargaining unit members and will prioritize severance pay. 

“These cuts will mean fewer reporters are working to help cover the state and keep us informed about what is happening around us at a time when we need it more than ever,” the union said.