Rhode Island public broadcaster offers voluntary separations
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Rhode Island PBS' headquarters in Providence.
Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio is implementing a voluntary buyout program due to federal funding cuts.
The buyout agreement is available to “most of our staff members,” CEO Pam Johnston wrote in a Wednesday email to staff.
“This first step aims to provide eligible employees with agency and choice by allowing you to have a say in what comes next,” Johnston wrote. “It may also support colleagues already considering a career or lifestyle change.”
The organization that runs the two public broadcasters faces a $1.1 million loss of federal funding, according to the email, which accounts for about 10% of its budget.
Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio merged last year.
“In response to the government defunding, we have scrutinized our budget and reduced expenses wherever possible while navigating the complexities of our merger,” Johnston wrote. “We’ve also received an outpouring of support from our community and have hosted two of our most successful pledge drives ever. Despite these efforts, it is not enough to close the financial gap.”
Staff have until Sept. 5 to choose voluntary separation.
“We are hopeful that this first step will achieve the necessary financial results,” Johnston wrote. “If a significant gap remains, we will have to move to staff reductions across the organization.”
$1.1 million should be easily absorbed since they are sitting on $100,000,000 in funds from the sale of their frequency a few years back. Compared to other PBS and NPR stations, any layoffs here are pure BS.