KQED Hit With 15% Staff Cuts
• Public radio KQED/San Francisco this week announced it’s laying off 45 people and losing 12 more who took voluntary departure offers, marking a 15% reduction in staff as the organization faces a significant budget shortfall and mounting financial uncertainty.
This marks the third round of layoffs in five years for one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the country and comes as federal funding for public media is under threat.
And speaking of which…. NPR reports that the U.S. Senate “voted by a razor-thin margin late Tuesday to advance debate on a package of funding cuts requested by President Trump. They’re aimed at clawing back $1.1 billion previously allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with $7.9 billion earmarked for international efforts to combat famine and disease.”
The cuts impact every level of the organization, from top executives to custodial staff, but content-producing departments account for nearly three-quarters of them. KQED is disbanding its digital video team and slashing its education department, which produces media literacy curriculum, as part of a plan to sharpen its focus on local news and community events.
Four senior leaders are among those leaving the company, including Chief Operations and Administrative Officer Maria Miller and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Eric Abrams. KQED Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan left in late May to become Pres./CEO of Nashville Public Radio.
In addition to staff cuts, the nonprofit said it will stop contributing to employees’ retirement accounts and freeze salary increases beginning this fall. The current plan is to restart both next year. The cuts whittle KQED’s workforce to 312, down from 369 full-time employees. An additional 10 vacant positions will go unfilled. [Logo photo by Beth LaBerge / KQED]
