GBH cuts 45 jobs amid budget shortfalls and threats to federal funding

GBH on Monday announced it laid off 45 employees — roughly 6% of its workforce — as the Boston-based public radio and television station grapples with budget shortfalls and federal funding threats.

Home to national programs like "Frontline" and "Antiques Roadshow," GBH is one of the country's largest producers of content for public media. But like other public broadcasters, GBH has faced turbulent financial conditions.

Last month, the station announced it eliminated nine jobs because of a funding cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And last year, GBH laid off 4% of its workforce, citing a sizable budget gap.

GBH President and CEO Susan Goldberg said in a statement the media outlet faced "several dynamics at once" and had to make "structural changes" in order to close the budget shortfall.

"Layoffs are never our first choice," said Goldberg.  "At a volatile time like this, we owe it to the public to reshape our work to meet the moment and to ensure long-term sustainability."

The latest round of layoffs at GBH come as public media outlets brace for cuts in funding from the federal government.

The Trump Administration has said it will ask Congress to claw back $1.1 billion in approved funds for public media. The White House also issued an executive order last month to block government funding for NPR and PBS. Both organizations  challenged the order in court, saying it illegally usurps Congressional power.

Full details about the job cuts at GBH haven't been made public but "multiple departments" will be impacted, according to a staff memo.

Durrie Bouscaren, a Turkey-based correspondent for the radio program "The World," posted on X that she found out her job was eliminated while covering the Ukraine/Russia peace talks in Istanbul. (A GBH spokesperson told WBUR after publication that Bouscaren is a contractor "whose work will continue until her contract expires.)

Other public media organizations have faced job cuts and buyouts in recent months, including New England Public Media, New York Public Media and Chicago Public Media. Last year, WBUR cut nearly 14% of its staff as it faced a steeper than expected decline in revenue.