The number doesn't matter. It's what they do. Generating unique local content takes more staff than playing records. WBUR isn't owned by a corporation where 6 stations share support staff. So it's a very different kind of operation. WBUR is more like radio used to be, when companies could only own one or two stations in a city.
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WBUR initiates employee buyouts to avert layoffs
- Thread starter DavidZ
- Start date
The number doesn't matter. It's what they do. Generating unique local content takes more staff than playing records. WBUR isn't owned by a corporation where 6 stations share support staff. So it's a very different kind of operation. WBUR is more like radio used to be, when companies could only own one or two stations in a city.
We all know the severe economic constraints of Radio. It’s the nature of the industry and has been this millennium.
Some of the economic facts of public radio, WBUR in particular, illustrate an operation pretty much divorced from modern reality.
They‘re CUTTING $4 million from operations while maintaining 86% of their staff?! What’s the cost of the remaining huge payroll/staff?
They‘re eliminating 31 full and part time positions. And $4 million in costs—and 86% of payroll is MAINTAINED?!
This is 1 radio station. In a PRIVATE (non public) industry operated mostly by a few companies struggling to avoid bankruptcy or figuring out how to operate IN bankruptcy. That’s the present industy model. And stations, for the most part are doing a lot more with much less. And are long since USED to that austerity.
Thats the real world. Public radio seems to me to be in a different world. Just an observation. I know, I know public radio doesn‘t carry the crushing debt loads of the mega private radio industry giants. But it’s more than just that imo..
Some of the economic facts of public radio, WBUR in particular, illustrate an operation pretty much divorced from modern reality.
They‘re CUTTING $4 million from operations while maintaining 86% of their staff?! What’s the cost of the remaining huge payroll/staff?
They‘re eliminating 31 full and part time positions. And $4 million in costs—and 86% of payroll is MAINTAINED?!
This is 1 radio station. In a PRIVATE (non public) industry operated mostly by a few companies struggling to avoid bankruptcy or figuring out how to operate IN bankruptcy. That’s the present industy model. And stations, for the most part are doing a lot more with much less. And are long since USED to that austerity.
Thats the real world. Public radio seems to me to be in a different world. Just an observation. I know, I know public radio doesn‘t carry the crushing debt loads of the mega private radio industry giants. But it’s more than just that imo..
Its a VERY different world. As I said, they don't report to stockholders, they can't report a profit, they're part of a college so some of those 'employees' are actually students and they might be interns or paid from a different budget. People can volunteer for the station, and that time is tax deductible. Including their commuting and parking.
The iHeart cluster shares a lot of back-office staff among all their stations plus the TTN office. WBUR is just one station.
There might have been talk of merging WGBH and WBUR, but that was shot down:
CEO Shoots Down Possibility Of A Merger Of Boston’s WBUR And WGBH.
Despite both organizations facing similar financial difficulties, don’t look for Boston’s two NPR-affiliated radio stations, WBUR and WGBH, to merge anytime soon. “I don’t see any reason why Boston —
They simply re-budget in a way to live within their means.
Speaking of news layoffs, Kim Tunicliffe of iHeart's WBZ newsradio got word she has been let go--after 26 years.
www.bostonherald.com
WBZ NewsRadio reporter is let go after 26 years with Boston station: ‘Quite the shock’
WBZ NewsRadio reporter is let go after 26 years with Boston station: ‘Quite the shock’
www.bostonherald.com