Facing flat revenues and questions about future funding, Wisconsin Public Radio has laid off more than a dozen staffers and canceled several decades-old programs.
“We are making these decisions to address multiple challenges – increased expenses, flat revenues, potential funding cuts, and the urgent need to adapt our service to meet audiences’ habits and needs,” WPR Director Sarah Ashworth said in an email to network supporters.
Ashworth’s announcement did not specify the number of job cuts, but a separate report by WPR News indicated that at least 15 full-time workers are losing their jobs.
All of the programs being dropped are weekly hour-long shows: “BETA,” “To The Best of Our Knowledge,” “University of the Air,” and “Zorba Paster On Your Health.” All except “University of the Air” are syndicated nationally through PRX.
“To continue to meet our public service mission, we must align our resources toward serving Wisconsin. The changes we’re announcing today will ensure that we continue to be a vital community resource for everyone in our state. Layoffs and ending programs are never our first choice. We have cut expenses across departments, and we are building a new shared structure with PBS Wisconsin. Together we will be able to deepen our service to the state on audio, video and digital platforms and build a sustainable model for our future,” Ashworth said.
The announcement says the affected shows will continue until early fall. WPR has not yet announced how its weekend schedule will change as a result of the cancellations.
According to Randall Davidson’s book “9XM Talking,” “University of the Air” began as “Wisconsin School of the Air” in 1931 and changed to its current name in 1978. “To The Best of Our Knowledge” and “Zorba Paster On Your Health” launched in the 1990s and “BETA” launched in 2018.
The cancellations leave “Chapter A Day,” Larry Meiller’s midday show, and “Wisconsin Today” as WPR’s only remaining non-music productions, totaling 17.5 hours per week.
An announcement on WPR’s website suggests that the network may be looking to add more Wisconsin-focused programming in the future.
The announcement comes a little over a year after WPR realigned its networks to separate News and Classical programming, resulting in the cancellation of its Ideas Network drive-time magazine/call-in programs. Under the new model, WPR News carries NPR’s flagship morning and afternoon news magazines with three hours of Wisconsin-based content in middays and other syndicated shows rounding out the schedule.
The realignment also included a format change at WPR’s only station in Milwaukee from News/Talk to Classical, while Classical music was moved to weaker signals in Madison.