WETA to cut staff, cancel ‘PBS News Weekend’ and close News Hour West bureau
WETA
John Yang has been the program's anchor since 2022.
WETA in Washington, D.C., and its subsidiary News Hour Productions are ending broadcasts of PBS News Weekend as part of a restructuring prompted by the rescission of federal funding for public media.
The restructuring includes the elimination of 34 positions, adding to 21 positions WETA cut in September. The new cuts affect technical, editorial, administrative and corporate support services roles, according to WETA spokesperson Mary Stewart. They do not affect the flagship program PBS News Hour or Washington Week with The Atlantic.
In September, WETA cut its workforce by 5% and ended local programs to save $4.4 million this fiscal year. The new cuts represent a 6% workforce reduction, Stewart said.
Stewart said 12 new positions are being created and that employees who have been laid off will be encouraged to apply. The last airdate of PBS News Weekend will be Jan. 11. “The weekend show has really done well for us, and I know people really like it, and stations rely on it,” Stewart said. “And a lot of news happens over the weekend. This is solely driven by the federal funding cuts.”
In a Thursday memo to staff, WETA CEO Sharon Rockefeller wrote that WETA’s system funding for its news programming “is significantly less than previous levels and will be so for the foreseeable future. We also have reduced revenues from the loss of project grants from federal agencies and the increased pressure on private foundations to fund multiple other priorities.”
Rockefeller told staff in September that the loss of WETA’s CPB Community Service Grant created a $6.7 million budget shortfall for FY26 and a projected $9 million shortfall for FY27.
WETA received about $17.5 million in federal funding in FY24, according to CPB’s website. The amount represented nearly 12% of WETA’s $140 million in revenues for that year, according to an annual financial report.
Most of the FY24 funding supported WETA’s television operations and programming, including an $8.6 million CSG and $8.1 million in grants for television programs. The balance went to WETA’s classical radio stations and unspecified system support.
In her Thursday memo, Rockefeller said that while individual giving remains strong, “we cannot fully compensate for the scope of the federal funding loss.” The restructuring will put WETA “on a steady path for a fiscally sound operation and continued public service,” she said.
Because WETA’s leaders “feel strongly” that the system needs weekend public affairs programming, the station is developing two half-hour weekend programs, Stewart said. One will cover international affairs, and the other will focus on science, technology and health. The shows will be fed Fridays, and stations will be able to air them at their discretion.
PBS News Weekend moved under WETA’s purview in 2021. Host John Yang will become part of News Hour’s editorial staff, Stewart said.
In addition, Stewart said that Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication decided not to renew its contract for the News Hour West bureau based in Phoenix. News Hour West will close and will make its last contributions to News Hour programming Dec. 19. Instead of producing PBS News Hour West, which feeds at 6 p.m. Pacific time, WETA will offer a soft feed of News Hour.
In an email to PBS News supporters obtained by Current, Mike Rancilio, WETA’s EVP and CCO and GM of News Hour Productions, said the decision was “based on Arizona State University’s revised priorities.” Representatives for Arizona State University and the Cronkite School did not respond to requests for comment.
In her Thursday memo, Rockefeller said that “PBS, WETA, and PBS News remain committed to delivering outstanding news and public affairs programming as an essential part of our public media mission. … The work we do is absolutely vital, and I am very grateful for your fortitude as we navigate the unprecedented changes for our organization.”
This story has been updated with details from Rancilio’s email to PBS News supporters.
Is a true loss for the NewsHour and their team. #PBSNEWS #SupportPublicMedia #GoPublic
John Yang leaving PBS is a terrible loss. I looked forward to his broadcasting style and the warmth he brought to the face of PBS news.
What a shame. Trump’s way of again saying if you can’t kill the message, kill the messenger (PBS/NPR). Please, corporations that 15 million is merely a drop in the bucket, especially given how the markets are making them (especially CEOs) multiples of earning each day. It’s such an abuse of power, and just another way this administration seeks to control freedom of the press.
This storm too will pass.
very disappointed to see John Yang leaving and the cut to the news weekend.
It is with profound disappointment that I learned of the discontinuation of NewsHour Weekend hosted by John Yang, as well his announcement that he will leave PBS entirely. What a significant loss to those of us who love and rely on his weekend news program, not only for his excellent and highly professional approach, but also for his obvious kind heart that comes through during each and every program. It’s been one of my best 30 minutes spent on the weekend getting no-nonsense news.
Besides wishing him the very best, I am hoping Mr. Yang isn’t completely retiring just yet. Will we see him exercising his journalistic talents elsewhere in the future? I certainly hope we do.
It’s so difficult to accept this news, and that budget cutting might have taken a different approach. Removing an entire program of this caliber and that is providing an important public service is playing right into the hands of those who are trying to kill off PBS and NPR. Certainly there must have been another way to save money.
Mr. Yang, I for one will miss you.