KQED lays off 45 employees

[michael hagerty]

Announced two days ago---only seeing it now:

"It’s 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.

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."

KQED to Slash Workforce by 15%, Cutting Dozens of Jobs in Latest Round of Layoffs | KQED

The Bay Area media nonprofit is laying off staff for the third time in five years. It comes as the Trump administration aims to cut off federal funding for public media.

www.kqed.org

 

[Weiserguy]

Mike, there was another thread about this yesterday:

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/kqed-offers-voluntary-buyouts-and-prepare-for-layoffs.776982/

 

[michael hagerty]

Mike, there was another thread about this yesterday:

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/kqed-offers-voluntary-buyouts-and-prepare-for-layoffs.776982/

Thanks, Weiserguy. I didn't check the TV section. I'll leave it to the moderators as to whether this should stay in the radio section or not.

 

[Weiserguy]

I have to admit I didn't notice that it was posted under a TV board until you mentioned it. I came in via the What's New tab, which I keep bookmarked.

 

[cc333]

Well, KQED is both TV and radio, so why not have a discussion of each in their own respective section?

Discuss the radio side here, and the TV side over in the TV forum.

c

 

[TheBigA]

Well, KQED is both TV and radio, so why not have a discussion of each in their own respective section?

Discuss the radio side here, and the TV side over in the TV forum.

It appears most of the cuts are on the TV side:

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.

I noticed that the station will lose a $5 million CPB grant for its education department. They didn't identify any cuts to radio.

 

[michael hagerty]

It appears most of the cuts are on the TV side:



I noticed that the station will lose a $5 million CPB grant for its education department. They didn't identify any cuts to radio.

My reading of it is that the "digital video team" is specific to the web, and not part of television. And if you go further into the release, they do mention radio:

The cuts mean listeners won’t hear as many young voices on the airwaves, and staff won’t see clusters of teens around the studio each year during Youth Takeover week, as the station is ending the eight-year-old tradition of giving swaths of airtime over to local youth once a year. The department will still help young people produce and publish media through the Youth Media Challenge showcase.

“We are still committed to youth voice, and we will still continue to do it in the best ways we can with the resources we have for as long as we are allowed to do that,” Parker said.

As for the digital video team---they're specific that this is online video. "Deep Look" was an online video series.

Also, there are other steps being taken that will affect all remaining employees---including those on the radio side:

In addition to paring back its staff, 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.

Leaders with the unions representing many of KQED’s workers said the company will have to negotiate before freezing pay for union members.

 

[TheBigA]

My reading of it is that the "digital video team" is specific to the web, and not part of television.

The Youth Media Challenge and Youth Takeover is the $5 million CPB grant that I mentioned. It's a once a year educational program that includes radio, tv and online. So OK that's partly a radio project.

 

[Mediafrog+]

My reading of it is that the "digital video team" is specific to the web, and not part of television. And if you go further into the release, they do mention radio:

As for the digital video team---they're specific that this is online video.

That’s what I don’t understand: The concept that “radio” and “television” and “online” are totally different walled-off things from a content production perspective. As I said on the other KQED thread, these days content creators are producing media that can be used on multiple platforms. Keeping everything separate is extremely inefficient, and goes against broader structural trends in media today.

Take the BBC for example: If you listen to World Service Radio programs such as The Newsroom and Newshour you quickly realize that much of the content is repurposed TV packages and interviews. And those also get used as video on the web, and the scripts are transcribed for the BBC News website. So the same content is used in many ways.

Coming from a mostly commercial media experience, perhaps my way of thinking is different. But it seems that public media in larger markets need to promote more production efficiencies if it is going to survive in a tight funding environment.

 

[TheBigA]

That’s what I don’t understand: The concept that “radio” and “television” and “online” are totally different walled-off things from a content production perspective.

Have you ever worked at a co-owned radio & TV station? I did. They have separate staffs.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Have you ever worked at a co-owned radio & TV station? I did. They have separate staffs.

You can’t do that any more when money is tight. Today’s reality.

 

[TheBigA]

You can’t do that any more when money is tight. Today’s reality.

Keep in mind a lot of funding this station gets is very specific. The staff for this Youth Takeover project I mentioned were all in the station's education department. That is a grant-specific department. So often the money they receive will determine how they staff.

I'm sure they also have some staff that are cross purposed. But some of that is also defined by the union. That was the case where I worked. KQED is a union shop.

 

[ILOVERADIO]

Keep in mind a lot of funding this station gets is very specific. The staff for this Youth Takeover project I mentioned were all in the station's education department. That is a grant-specific department. So often the money they receive will determine how they staff.

I'm sure they also have some staff that are cross purposed. But some of that is also defined by the union. That was the case where I worked. KQED is a union shop.

Both KABC Radio in Los Angeles and WGN in Chicago simulcast tv news from 4-6 AM. In ancient times (60s and 70s) many WGN tv news stars like Jack Taylor and John Drury did some news or shows on the radio station. Former CBS anchor Dan Rather did at least one weekday radio broadcast on CBS radio back in the 90s or early 2000s.

 

[radiofan2023]

Both KABC Radio in Los Angeles and WGN in Chicago simulcast tv news from 4-6 AM. In ancient times (60s and 70s) many WGN tv news stars like Jack Taylor and John Drury did some news or shows on the radio station. Former CBS anchor Dan Rather did at least one weekday radio broadcast on CBS radio back in the 90s or early 2000s.

What does any of that have to do with KQED cutting people this year?

 

[davideduardo]

Have you ever worked at a co-owned radio & TV station? I did. They have separate staffs.

That all depends on the company. TelevisaUnivision has one manager for radio, TV and local new media in each market.

 

[Mediafrog+]

I'm sure they also have some staff that are cross purposed. But some of that is also defined by the union. That was the case where I worked. KQED is a union shop.

The unions are about to get their collective butt kicked by cold hard economic and political realities. That is not an anti-union statement, but they need to adapt to the new reality or they won’t have any station staff to represent.

 

[TheBigA]

In total it looks like KQED will lose about $8 million in CPB funding. That doesn't include funding that went to specific program producers.

 

[Mediafrog+]

In total it looks like KQED will lose about $8 million in CPB funding. That doesn't include funding that went to specific program producers.

This was posted on the LA board, but of interest here: Grants and Allocations: California | CPB

 

[ILOVERADIO]

What does any of that have to do with KQED cutting people this year?

It makes the point that stations often share personnel allowing the show to go on with fewer staff. Layoffs are sad; I’ve been there. But funding cuts often force them in many companies, nonprofits, and government agencies.

 

[KilowattKat]

After the staffing cuts, KQED will still have 312 paid employees. That still seems an excessive number of paid employees for a non profit that relies on donations grants, and subsidies. Maybe they could have consolidated radio and TV jobs a lot earlier to avoid a situation like this. Commercial radio has been making cuts and eliminating jobs for years now, and is still surviving.

I just feel that KQED has been a bloated organization that is in need of a reality check...Time to join the rest of broadcasting (and the world) in cutting back.

And to take it a step further, I think it's time for mergers that can form a regional and/or statewide public radio and TV network.