University of Washington’s Public News/Talk 94.9 KUOW-FM Seattle is the latest public media operator to institute a round of layoffs.
KUOW-FM will reduce their operating costs by $2 million for fiscal year 2025, with $1 million of the cuts coming from operational spending and the other half from ending their RadioActive Youth Media program and eliminating 8 current and 3 open staff positions representing 6% of the station’s staff. RadioActive provided community workshops to help youths discover public radio journalism and learn basic radio storytelling skills.
In a news story, KUOW-FM President & General Manager Caryn G. Mathes stated these were the first layoffs in station history caused by flat revenue and operational costs rising due to producing more podcasts and on-demand content. She stated, “I feel like we’ve gone from a two-ring circus, with the live stream program and a website, to a 12-ring circus because of digital consumers.” Mathes also added that the station’s radio audience is aging, “The baby boomer audience was our bread and butter, and still are, money-wise in a lot of ways. They just wanted to turn on the firehose of content and have it wash over them.”
Station Director of Community Engagement Zaki Hamid, who oversaw RadioActive added, “RadioActive was a champion for youth voices in media. Throughout the years, youth tackled some of the thorniest issues, from abortion to religion to gender identity and so much more. RadioActive gave us the privilege of insight into the world of young people, and their perspective on the world. The stories that they produced made us pause, rethink issues, laugh, and learn. I hope this program and all of the wonderful memories it created can act as a beacon of hope for youth to continue championing their voices being heard.”
Mathes shared the following memo:
KUOW, like many media outlets, is facing financial headwinds that necessitate realigning our operating cost model with the realities of changing consumer media consumption behavior and the availability of public, corporate, and philanthropic funding.
We have worked diligently to manage expenses and have simultaneously invested in new strategies for revenue generation and have seen some good trends with revenue growth. However, these new revenue generation measures will take some time to fully manifest and are not currently delivering adequately to cover the rising costs of producing journalism that informs the public, broadens conversations, and contributes to a vibrant democracy. In the short term, our budget remains strained, requiring us to take decisive actions to align our expenses with available funding.
To address this shortfall, KUOW will reduce FY2025 operating costs by $2 million. $1 million of this will come from ending the RadioActive Youth Media program and the elimination of 8 current and 3 open staff positions. These reductions are essential for us to maintain financial sustainability while continuing to fulfill our mission of providing high-quality journalism and programming to our community.
While reductions are being made across all departments, they are being implemented thoughtfully, taking into account the unique needs and functions of each area, and with careful consideration given to preserving the core functions of our organization. This approach aims to distribute the impact of the reductions fairly while maintaining a balanced and sustainable organizational structure. We recognize that these staff reductions will significantly impact the affected employees, and we are committed to providing support and assistance throughout the transition process.
Overall, these changes at KUOW are a necessary step to address our budget constraints and ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization and our ability to continue delivering a valuable public service to our local community and broaden conversations, deepen understanding, and create a more informed public.
