NJ PBS reduces staff amid uncertain state funding, challenges at WNET
NJ PBS / WNET Group
NJ PBS laid off seven staffers Wednesday in its news division, NJ Spotlight News.
An NJ PBS spokesperson confirmed the cuts in an email to Current. The station is operated by the WNET Group in New York.
“Regrettably, we must now make reductions to some of our staff at NJPBS and Spotlight,” WNET CEO Neal Shapiro said in a Wednesday memo to staff obtained by Current. “Their last day with us will be March 28th. We did not make this decision lightly and we deeply appreciate their hard work [and] dedication.”
NJ Spotlight News launched in 2010 as NJ Spotlight, an independent digital newsroom. The WNET Group acquired the news organization in 2019. In the memo, Shapiro said that “streamlining our operation to build a sustainable future is a necessity. You can see this happening across our industry.”
“I sincerely wish circumstances were different, but as I’ve mentioned, we are in challenging times, and we must continue to update the way we work in order to ensure our future,” Shapiro added.
WNET’s fiscal year 2023 990 form, the most recent available, showed a $22 million deficit. The FY23 990 form for NJ PBS, the most recent available, showed a $1.4 million deficit. Last year, the WNET Group laid off employees and instituted a staff restructuring that affected 34 positions, including an undefined number within NJ Spotlight News.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed a reduction of the state’s annual appropriation for NJ PBS from $1 million to $250,000. NJ PBS’ total revenue in FY23 was $10.7 million.
“The budget cycle is not over,” wrote NJ PBS GM Joe Lee Friday in a staff memo obtained by Current. “We will be working with our lobbyist to help identify influential legislators to advocate for the restoration of our full appropriation. The good news is that we are still in the Governor’s budget.”
The “senior social media specialist” who writes cute summaries of sometimes serious news summaries – this is the “fat” or “waste” which could be cut while they ask for donations.