Florida’s WFIT cuts three staff: ‘Funding loss is just too big’
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WFIT's studios in Melbourne, Fla.
WFIT in Melbourne, Fla., will cut three staff positions due to fallout from federal and state funding losses, GM Stephen Yasko said in a Thursday letter to listeners.
“We don’t make this change lightly or without deep reflection and consideration,” he wrote. “These changes affect some programming and fundraising. Other members of our staff will handle fundraising activities to ensure we continue to raise the support needed to continue operations, but local programming will be affected.”
With the loss of CPB funding and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto of funding to public broadcasters, the radio station is losing an annual total of $240,000, Yasko said in the letter.
“While we have been diligent in raising additional funds while simultaneously economizing where we can, this funding loss is just too big to absorb without adjusting station operations—just as so many other stations across the nation are doing as well,” he wrote.
The staff reduction will be made through a combination of layoffs, retirements and reassignments to other departments at the station’s licensee, the Florida Institute of Technology, Yasko told Current in an email.
The reduction takes effect Aug. 22 and represents a 50% reduction in staffing, Yasko said. He added that Coastal Connections, a feature highlighting local nonprofits, “will be going on hiatus and we hope to bring back a revitalized version once we adjust to the new reality.”
“To be clear, we are not closing the doors on this important asset,” Yasko wrote in the letter. “WFIT has a 50-year-long proud tradition of serving this community, and it remains our privilege to continue doing so.”
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