The Public’s Radio, RI PBS Avoid Layoffs After Voluntary Buyouts.

Rhode Island’s newly merged public media entity will avoid layoffs following enough voluntary employee buyouts to offset a $1.1 million budget shortfall, according to an internal email from CEO Pam Johnston this week reported by the Rhode Island Current.

“While the built-in waiting period included in the Voluntary Separation Program offered to staff is still open, we can now confirm that the program has achieved the savings necessary to close the $1.1 million budget gap caused by the elimination of federal funding,” Johnston wrote Wednesday. “This means we will not have to move to layoffs at this time.”

The funding shortfall stemmed from a recent congressional decision to eliminate longstanding federal support for public broadcasting, part of a broader rescission package. This blow came just as Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio finalized their merger and rebranded as Ocean State Media.

Nearly a month earlier, Johnston had warned staff of possible layoffs. The merger, initiated two years ago, received state and federal regulatory approval in spring 2024. Johnston, a veteran of Massachusetts broadcasting, assumed the role of CEO in July. At the time of the merger application, the organization anticipated employing around 100 staff members.

Meg Geoghegan, a spokesperson for Ocean State Media, declined to disclose how many employees accepted buyouts, citing the ongoing waiting period. However, The Boston Globe Rhode Island reported that at least 19 employees from both organizations opted into the separation program. The offer included three weeks of pay for each year of service.

Several of those departures have been made public. Michelle San Miguel, anchor of Rhode Island PBS Weekly, shared her decision in a Facebook post. The Public’s Radio political reporter Ian Donnis also reported that chief content officer Sally Eisele, afternoon radio host Dave Fallon, and health reporter Lynn Arditi had taken buyouts.

Johnston is set to hold a staff meeting Thursday morning to address the changes. “Transitions like this are never easy, but we move forward with clarity and purpose,” she wrote. “We have the creativity and vision it takes to not only fulfill our mission, but to reimagine how we serve our community in bold, innovative, and deeply local ways.”

The cuts reflect a broader national crisis in public media. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has funneled federal funds to public radio and television stations for nearly six decades, recently announced it will shut down by year’s end due to defunding.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island’s commercial media landscape is also facing upheaval. At least two veteran journalists at ABC6 (WLNE) were let go following a new service-sharing agreement with rival NBC10 (WJAR). The deal allows WJAR’s parent company, Sinclair, to control ABC6’s operations and broadcasting, while skirting regulations that prevent monopolies in local TV markets.