Northwest Public Broadcasting Cuts Costs by $1.8 Million

Northwest Public Broadcasting (NWPB) announced plans to reduce its annual operating costs by $1.8 million. This decision, revealed in a post by Washington State University (WSU) on September 25, 2023, involves shutting down KWSU-TV, a public television station located in Pullman, by the end of this year. The cuts will not impact NWPB’s radio network, which continues to serve the community from Pullman.

Bruce Pinkleton, Dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, emphasized the importance of NWPB Radio in reaching smaller and rural communities. He stated in an email, “NWPB Radio serves an important land-grant function by reaching many smaller and rural communities through its radio services. This will not change.” The organization has been making investments to adapt to a new digital audience, but those efforts have not yielded the anticipated returns. In fact, NWPB’s net position has declined by $1.6 million in 2023 and an additional $1.7 million is projected for 2024.

In an interview, Pinkleton indicated that NWPB’s budget for 2024 is just over $7 million in revenue. This figure has been adversely affected by the federal government’s decision to rescind nearly $2 million annually—about 20% of NWPB’s budget—due to cuts in previously approved funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the next two years.

Future Funding and Staffing Implications

According to WSU Insider, projected revenue over the next three fiscal years is insufficient to keep pace with the rising costs of public broadcasting. As part of the cost-cutting measures, NWPB expects to achieve a balanced budget by fiscal year 2029. However, these reductions will inevitably affect staffing levels. Pinkleton assured that efforts are underway to minimize the impact on employees as they navigate these changes.

Approximately two weeks prior to the announcement, KWSU-TV broadcasting reporters and creative content providers voted to unionize, aligning with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Pinkleton highlighted that all decisions regarding staffing and operations must be communicated through the union.

KWSU-TV has served the Pullman and Spokane market, which is also covered by other public television stations, including KSPS-TV in Spokane and KUID-TV in Moscow, Idaho. Despite the closure of KWSU-TV, supporters of NWPB will still have access to the station’s TV streaming service through its PBS station in the Tri-Cities, KTNW, which will remain operational.

A Brief History of KWSU-TV

Founded in 1922, NWPB has a potential reach of 3.6 million people across 44 counties through its various media platforms. Pinkleton noted that KWSU-TV is one of the earliest educational television stations in the Northwest, having established a fully operational television station on the Washington State College campus in 1952. It officially began broadcasting in 1962 under the National Educational Television programming and was renamed KWSU-TV in 1969 to reflect the university’s name change.

As NWPB adapts to the evolving landscape of public broadcasting, stakeholders remain hopeful that these strategic cuts will position the organization for future sustainability and growth.