Boston R/TV: GBH Says Farewell To 45 Staffers

GBH, a major producer of PBS programming, is laying off 45 employees, or 6 percent of its workforce, across various departments due to financial pressures, CEO Susan Goldberg announced Monday. 

This follows the recent layoff of nine staff members at GBH’s WORLD Channel, a global news and documentary outlet, after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut its funding due to sustainability concerns. In total, these cuts affect 7 percent of GBH’s staff, according to an email from Goldberg obtained by the Globe. GBH has also reduced expenses across departments and will leave some vacant positions unfilled.

Goldberg cited multiple challenges, including federal funding cuts, rising operational costs, and the need to adapt to changing audience preferences. 

“We’re sad to say goodbye to colleagues and grateful for their contributions,” she said, emphasizing the need to reshape operations for long-term sustainability during a volatile time. This marks GBH’s second round of organization-wide layoffs in two years, following a 2024 reduction of 31 employees (4 percent of staff), which included 11 newsroom staffers and the suspension of programs like “Basic Black,” “Greater Boston,” and “Talking Politics.” “Basic Black” was relaunched as “GBH News Rooted,” with plans to revive “Greater Boston.”

GBH, known for producing PBS staples like Frontline, Masterpiece, and NOVA, also operates an NPR news station, creates educational content, and produces podcasts. 

The organization faces further uncertainty as the Trump administration’s recent executive order threatens to halt funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports NPR and PBS. NPR and PBS have filed lawsuits arguing the order is unconstitutional. While federal funding constitutes only 8 percent of GBH’s revenue and 3 percent of WBUR’s, the loss would have a broader impact, as smaller stations that license GBH’s programming rely heavily on such support. This could particularly harm smaller, rural stations, exacerbating financial strain across public media.