News

December 10, 2008

WVIA cuts jobs, expenses

Funding shortfall forces salary slashes, delays in taping of two dance programs.

JENKINS TWP. -- The Northeastern Pennsylvania Educational Television Association, better know as WVIA Public Media, announced on Tuesday it is balancing an expected $200,000 funding shortfall by laying off workers, reducing salaries and cutting other expenses.

“The two (programming changes) that we think will be noticed are ‘Pennsylvania Polka’ and ‘WVIA Ballroom,’ ” said Bill Kelly, WVIA’s president and chief executive officer.

The dance broadcasts will continue, he said, but tapings are on hiatus until September because of the production costs. “We have lots of these shows in the can, so the audience will not be deprived of them, but they’ll be deprived of new productions,” he said. “We normally tape two or three of them at a time.”

Five positions were eliminated, including a television production staffer, a documentarian, an FM radio news person, Kelly’s part-time administrative assistant and a receptionist, whose duties will be covered by another employee, Kelly said.

The layoffs, which represent 8.4 percent of WVIA’s work force, were made now, he said, because money still exists for severance packages, including health care coverage extensions and job placement.

Two slated documentary projects also were scratched, he said. Frozen were job openings and compensation for training, travel, dues, maintenance and hospitality.

Kelly is taking a 10 percent salary cut, which, according to the nonprofit’s IRS filings, accounts for about $18,210 and brings Kelly’s salary to $163,890. Senior vice presidents will incur 5 percent cuts, though Kelly declined to specify the amounts.

The funding deficit was caused by state appropriations cutbacks, Kelly said. WVIA has already been alerted that the Pennsylvania Public Television Network cut $100,000 from its annual $900,000 disbursement to WVIA, and another $100,000 cut is anticipated.

The network has cut allotments in various amounts to all eight public broadcasting nonprofits in the Commonwealth, Kelly said. “We are not the smallest nor the largest. We’re right in the middle,” he said.

WVIA won’t be increasing funding solicitations to its audience, Kelly said. “It would be entirely inappropriate, in our opinion, to react in a way that would put pressure on our listeners when every need in the state is hurting,” he said.

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