Arizona Public Media to lay off six workers, eliminate 11 open positions

Arizona Public Media in Tucson is laying off six workers and will leave 11 open positions unfilled.

Station leaders informed staff of the workforce reduction Sept. 8, according to COO Gene Robinson. The dual licensee is licensed to the University of Arizona.

The job cuts affect three departments: original content production, program operations and marketing/communications. The six employees who were laid off will leave their jobs Oct. 9.

The downsizing responds to the rescission of CPB’s federal funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. CPB Community Service Grants for AZPM’s radio and television stations topped $2.4 million in FY24, according to CPB’s website. Those funds provided about 15% of the organization’s revenues of more than $16 million for that year, according to an audited financial statement.

“To respond to this challenge, we’ve adopted a three-year, three-part plan,” said AZPM CEO Jack Gibson in a news release. “We need to increase local community support, we must reduce operating expenses, and unfortunately, we’ve had to strategically eliminate some positions in the near term to align revenues and expenses.”

Before the reduction, Arizona Public Media employed 90 workers, Robinson said in an email.

In an interview with KGUN, an ABC affiliate, Robinson said audiences “will not see any change in what they receive from us over the air, TV or radio. In fact, we’re looking to create more programs, offer more content.”

An FAQ on AZPM’s website said that the station’s new facility under construction, the Paul and Alice Baker Center, “is funded entirely by donors through a separate capital campaign. Federal cuts do not affect it.”

Since July, more than 20 public media organizations have publicly announced layoffs tied to the rescission of CPB funding.