Boston’s GBH is laying off staff for the second year in a row as the public radio operator confronts a combination of stagnant revenues, increased operational costs, and shrinking federal support as the Trump administration continues its push to defund public media.
The announcement was made last week by GBH President and CEO Susan Goldberg. In a memo to staff, she wrote, “Media — and public media in particular — is facing multiple challenges. At GBH, we’re being hit with several of them at once: funding cuts, rising costs of doing business, flat revenues, and the urgent need to adapt our work to meet audiences’ habits and desires.”
The latest round of layoffs affects roughly 6% of GBH’s workforce, or 45 positions, in multiple departments across the organization, broadcast and digital. In May, the company eliminated nine positions tied to cuts from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The group last implemented workforce reductions in May 2024, when 31 employees were let go to close a $7 million budget shortfall.
This latest action follows continued uncertainty around the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s funding, as the Trump Administration rushes to eliminate $1.1 billion in current federal support for the agency, which provides resources and staffing to NPR and PBS member stations across the country.
