Lehigh Valley Public Media on Friday made deep staffing cuts in response to what it said was \u201ca combination of financial pressures that include declining revenues, rising costs, changing market conditions and reductions in federal funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bethlehem-based organization, which includes PBS39, WLVR radio and the Lehigh Valley News website, will lose about half of its workforce, which stood around 50. It also cut back on some PBS programming \u201cto align expenses with sustainable funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The loss of federal funds added up to about 20%<\/a> of Lehigh Valley Public Media\u2019s budget. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private agency that steered federal funding to PBS, NPR and other public media outlets, voted itself out of existence on Jan. 5<\/a> after being defunded by Congress.<\/p>\n \u201cFederal support has long played a critical role in sustaining local journalism, educational programming, and essential community services,\u201d said Laks Srinivasan, chair of the board of directors of Lehigh Valley Public Media. \u201cThe loss of CPB funding, and the cascading effects it has triggered across the public media system, has fundamentally altered the financial foundation for stations of all sizes, including those serving the Lehigh Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n Srinivasan said that audience behaviors are changing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe media landscape continues to evolve, with audiences increasingly engaging through digital and on-demand platforms,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile these shifts have been underway for years, the loss of federal support accelerated the need to adapt our operating model.\u201d<\/p>\n In the latest documents from ProPublica\u2019s nonprofit explorer database<\/a>, LVPM reported revenue of $6.34 million in 2024 with expenses of $13.5 million \u2014 a deficit of $7.1 million. In its August financial report, it had an investment balance of $79.4 million. That endowment originated with a 2017 Federal Communications Commission spectrum \u201cincentive auction.\u201d<\/p>\n Other sources of funding for LVPM include corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, individual viewer donations and local governments.<\/p>\n LVPM Finance Chair Luis Campos said the organization will have to live within its means.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the current rate of spending, the fund could be significantly diminished within the next decade, placing our future service to the community at risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In a press release, LVPM said it \u201cwill continue to serve as a trusted community hub.\u201d<\/p>\n Lehigh Valley News, which was launched in 2022, will transition to a newsletter-led model with podcasts, video and other digital content. The local news site competes in a crowded Valley news market that includes The Morning Call, WFMZ, Lehigh Valley Live and a growing number of websites and blogs, such as Lehigh Valley Ramblings, Armchair Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Daily.<\/p>\n According to Lehigh Valley News<\/a>, the future of WLVR \u2014 which broadcasts National Public Radio and Lehigh University student programs \u2014 is not clear. WLVR, which broadcasts on 91.3 FM, is owned by Lehigh University, which teamed up with Lehigh Valley Public Media in 2019 to run the station.<\/p>\n