Layoffs At WETA-TV

WETA is cutting 21 staff positions and canceling three local shows (If You Lived Here, Get Out of Town, WETA Best Bets) as it trims $4.4M from this year’s budget. The staff reductions include twelve active employees and nine vacant positions.

CEO Sharon Rockefeller told staff the move comes after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting pulled future federal funding, creating a projected $6.7M shortfall in FY26 and $9M in FY27.

The cuts also end the Telly Visions site and podcast, and reduce circulation of WETA’s donor magazine. WETA, which produces PBS NewsHour, Washington Week, and programs from Ken Burnsand Henry Louis Gates Jr., says strong member support is helping soften the blow.

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