PBS North Carolina lays off 32 employees
PBS North Carolina has laid off 32 employees over the past 10 days, according to a statement from CEO David Crabtree.
The cuts follow five employees accepting voluntary separation packages earlier this month. Crabtree previously told Current that those taking buyouts would leave at the end of October. The network also eliminated 16 vacant positions.
The layoffs were in content and production, marketing and creative, engineering, education, development and finance, Crabtree said.
“These difficult decisions, combined with non-personnel expense reductions that began in January 2025, were necessary to ensure PBS North Carolina’s long-term financial stability,” Crabtree said in Thursday’s statement. “With these changes now in place, we are in a stronger position to continue serving the people of North Carolina and fulfilling our public media mission for decades to come.”
Crabtree told Current last week that a restructuring was needed because of a budget shortfall driven by the loss of federal funds — $4.8 million annually, or 15% of the network’s budget — as well as rising operational costs and possible state cuts.
“For 70 years, PBS North Carolina has endured,” Crabtree said in a note to staff on Wednesday. “And with your continued commitment, we won’t just endure—we will evolve and thrive.”
David Huppert, director of PBS North Carolina’s Media Innovation Lab, posted on LinkedIn Wednesday that he was laid off in the reduction that affected his entire team. Caitlin Dutton-Reaver, a project manager for learning productions, also posted last week that she was “heartbroken” to leave the network.
