Boston-based GBH and Springfield-based New England Public Media (NEPM) announced plans Friday to formally merge their operations by summer 2026, creating one of the largest statewide public media organizations in Massachusetts while preserving separate branding, headquarters, and signature programming.
GBH President and CEO Susan Goldberg will continue leading the combined organization. The move builds on seven years of collaboration and aims to expand reach, improve efficiencies, and enhance sustainability amid challenges facing public media, including potential federal funding cuts.
The merger is expected to create a unified entity reaching more than 1.3 million people across Massachusetts each week with trusted local news, information, and entertainment. Both organizations’ boards have approved the deal. The transfer of NEPM’s broadcast licenses to GBH remains subject to approval by the FCC.
“This is a forward-thinking plan to scale our journalism while maintaining our focus on local coverage,” Goldberg said in a statement. “By becoming a more sustainable business operation, we ensure that every resident of the Commonwealth has access to fact-based reporting and stories that matter — even in the face of federal defunding.”
The merger will allow consolidated back-office functions such as a single audit, one tax filing, and potentially stronger negotiating power with distributors like PBS.
Both outlets emphasize regional journalism, with the partnership already part of GBH’s broader “Connecting the Commonwealth” initiative that includes stations like CAI on Cape Cod and the Islands.
The announcement comes as public media organizations nationwide face financial pressures from proposed reductions in federal support. Both GBH and NEPM had conducted layoffs in the past year as they sought to adapt to a changing media landscape.
This formal merger deepens ties that began informally years ago, positioning the combined organization to deliver stronger statewide coverage while maintaining a commitment to local storytelling in Greater Boston, Western Massachusetts, and beyond.