This story was originally published by MPR News
MPR News’ parent company announced Thursday it would lay off employees in the coming weeks.
American Public Media Group leadership said it will be laying off 5 to 8 percent of its staff and making other cost reductions after state and federal funding cuts led to a $6 million budget gap.
APMG employs about 500 people, but it said the eventual scope of the layoffs will depend on multiple factors.
Leaders informed staff of the upcoming reductions at a meeting Thursday and confirmed the cuts in a statement to MPR News.
“While we are fortunate among public media organizations to be in a relatively strong financial position, these are significant cuts,” APMG’s chief people and culture officer Roycie Eppler said in the statement. “We shared with staff that we will be implementing cost savings including some reductions in employee benefits and a strategic reduction in force in the coming weeks. We are working through details with care and respect and will continue to keep our team updated.”
Eppler said the company will also make some reductions to employee benefits to make up the budget deficit.
MPR/APMG had annual operating expenses of $117 million in fiscal year 2023, the most recent for which official documents were available. That was on revenue of $108 million. The entity also draws from restricted endowment accounts.
The loss of funding comes in part from a federal bill that cut $1.1 billion in previously allocated money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Federal funding makes up about 6 percent of MPR’s budget.
Another blow came from state lawmakers. Under the new state budget, MPR’s allocation for cultural heritage and legacy programming was trimmed by $1 million per year, leaving the station with $2 million in total through June 2027. That’s down from $4 million in the prior state budget.
Besides MPR News, APMG is made up of radio stations and programs that include The Current, YourClassical and the national business show Marketplace. Company leadership said it was still assessing which areas of the company and the specific roles that will be impacted.
Eppler said the aim is to notify employees being laid off by mid-August. The company plans to offer severance packages and outplacement services.
The upcoming staff cuts won’t be the only ones the company has experienced recently. In June, APMG announced it would sell its BrainsOn! Universe science podcast geared toward younger listeners and eliminate 15 positions in the process. In April, seven positions were cut at Marketplace as part of a restructuring.
Disclosure: This story was written by MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox. It was edited by MPR News editors Lisa Ryan and Brian Bakst. When reporting on the business of MPR and public media, we do so independently from news executives and do not let them review material before it runs.
