American Public Media Group has laid off approximately 6% of its workforce, following a $6 million budget shortfall tied to rescinded federal funding and reduced state support from the Minnesota Legislature, impacting several divisions of the public radio giant.
APMG is the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio, American Public Media, and Southern California Public Radio.
The layoffs were announced Friday in an email from APMG CEO Jean Taylor, nearly a month after a company-wide meeting first warned staff of planned reductions. The thirty affected employees were offered severance packages and outplacement services.
Departments impacted by the cuts include the APM Research Lab, YourClassical, Minnesota Public Radio Alternative outlet The Current, information technology, and the national program distribution team.
Collectively, the organization reaches nearly 20 million weekly listeners through a 45-station MPR network, Southern California’s LAist and affiliated outlets, and over 20 syndicated programs, including Marketplace, The Splendid Table, and Performance Today. It is also the largest producer of classical music programming in the US.
APMG’s Chief People and Culture Officer told MPR News, “While MPR-APM remains financially strong, these cuts required us to make the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by 30 positions. Due to reductions in funding from both federal sources and the State of Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media is facing a budget shortfall of more than $6 million this fiscal year.”
