Chicago Radio: WBEZ's Parent Owner Pushes Buyouts

The nonprofit owner of the Chicago Sun-Times is calling for staff reductions that will fall heavily on the publication’s newsroom employees.

The cutbacks could be the deepest Chicago Public Media has ordered since it absorbed the Sun-Times in 2022. The noncash acquisition by the owner of public radio station WBEZ was an innovative attempt to preserve local journalism under a nonprofit umbrella, but the combined operations have been unable to stop financial bleeding.

Melissa Bell, CEO of Chicago Public Media, disclosed the planned cuts Wednesday in announcements to donors and employees. She said staff will be offered incentives to voluntarily exit via buyouts. The offer will be made to Sun-Times staff and to non-newsroom workers at WBEZ.

The move could save the company from $3 million to $5 million in annual expenses, possibly representing the departure of 20 to 30 people.

“Our hope is that this action and other efforts will reduce our costs so that we can avoid more significant cost-cutting measures down the road,” Bell said in a letter to donors.

“This is a proactive decision that allows us to align our organization’s size with our goals while strengthening our most valuable and impactful initiatives and ensuring our financial sustainability,” Bell said. “While we’ve made strides in adapting to the rapidly changing media landscape, these efforts haven’t yet translated into the sustainable revenue we need.”

Her letter did not detail expected savings from the buyouts. A company spokeswoman said no specific individuals or reporting functions are being targeted.

Bell said in an interview that the buyouts could start in mid-March.

“I came here only four months ago because I was intrigued and excited about the project” to unite the Sun-Times and WBEZ, she said. The cutbacks are “one more step we need to take to set it up for its future success.”