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Boston's Morning Newsletter
How smaller public radio stations across Massachusetts are navigating the loss of federal funds
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
It's the first day of the New England Patriots' training camp, which means there'll be fans storming the gates in Foxborough for a front-row view of practice (and also puppies).
But first, the news:
It's not just GBH and WBUR. Public radio stations across Massachusetts are grappling with the tough aftermath of last week's vote by Congress to rescind over $1 billion in previously approved funding. While Boston's two NPR affiliates — GBH and WBUR — get the most money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a half dozen small, lesser-known stations also rely on CPB grants for their music and local affairs programming. And often, it accounts for a much larger percentage of their tight operating budgets. (For our part, CPB provided 3% of WBUR's budget, though the station could be indirectly hit in other ways, too.) WBUR's John Bender spoke to three local public radio stations about what the loss of CPB funding could mean for them:
- WICN, a jazz-focused station in Worcester, was expecting a $99,400 grant from CPB this fall — about 18% of their budget. WICN executive director Melanie LeBoeuf told John that about a third of the funds helped the station pay to air NPR's newscasts and Jazz Night in America, while the rest went toward operations. To save money in the short term, LeBoeuf says the station will replace two recently departed staffers with a single part-time “general manager/program director.” In the long-term, they may have to reconsider whether they remain an NPR affiliate. "We're gonna just have to see where we are with the September fund drive ... and how foundations, grants and underwriting step up, and if they do," LeBoeuf said.
- WOMR, a Provincetown-based music station serving the Outer Cape, was counting on CPB funding for about 20% of its budget. Executive director John Braden said the $120,000 grant funnels into the mostly volunteer-run station's general operating budget (literally keeping the lights on), plus some syndicated programming. "We have a very lean budget," he told John. "We're paying for our utilities, insurance, the upkeep of our building … and staffing." Now, Braden says WOMR will be forced to explore new revenue-generating ideas, like renting out their recording studio and performance space. " I'm hoping it doesn't come to cutting," he said. "I'm just having a hard time imagining what that would be."
- WMVY on Martha's Vineyard was expecting about $200,000 this year from the CPB, roughly 10% of its budget. PJ Finn, the station's executive director, told John that CPB funding supported their Sunday morning public affairs programs and helped them pay to play music from artists who don't otherwise have a home on commercial radio. "The rug has just been pulled out of our mechanism for paying our music licensing fees," Finn said. " This is something that will affect the artists downstream." Fortunately, Finn thinks WMVY has enough of a financial "backstop" to weather the cuts in the short-term. "I talk to a lot of people at a lot of other radio stations, who just don't have that luxury," he said.
- In related news: GBH announced yesterday the station is laying off 13 employees at the decades-old PBS history program "American Experience" and pausing production of additional documentaries due to the loss of funding.
Meanwhile: About 100 criminal cases were dismissed in Boston yesterday because the defendants did not have legal representation. As WBUR's Deborah Becker reports, it's because of a backlog of cases due to the ongoing work stoppage by a group of private attorneys, who take most public defense cases, seeking higher pay rates. Court protocols require charges be dropped if a defendant does not have legal representation after 45 days. More dismissal hearings are scheduled, too.
- The dismissed charges yesterday included trespassing, drug trafficking and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. They were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can refile the cases later.
- Gov. Maura Healey is now calling on State House leaders to resolve the dispute, after pay raises were not included in the recent budget deal. (One top Democrat on Beacon Hill described the requested raises as a "$100 million issue" last week.) "We need people back at work and certainly they need to be paid fairly," Healey said yesterday. "But this is a matter of public safety and they've got to sort this out."
Coming soon: Two new Trader Joe's locations are hitting the Boston area. According to the grocery chain's website, the plan is to open stores in Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood (1999 Centre St.) and in Newton (1165 Needham St.). The exact opening dates are still TBD.
P.S.— The RMV is warning drivers about the latest text phishing scam. It's a fake “final notice” message that looks like it's from MassDOT telling people they have an unpaid traffic ticket. Remember, the RMV will never text you asking for info or money.
