Bob CollinsI blogged about NPR dropping two shows because of budget cuts last week, so I can’t very well ignore an MPR press release today.
American Public Media™ is cancelling weekly production and distribution of Weekend America® as a result of the current economy’s impact on station carriage and sponsorships. The final broadcast will be January 31, 2009. Thirteen full- and part-time positions will be affected. Weekend America is carried on 134 stations with a weekly audience of about 657,000 listeners.
American Public Media is proud of the many accomplishments of Weekend America’s talented staff. They have produced personal, thoughtful, funny and challenging journalism that you couldn’t hear anywhere else. The program topics ranged from in-depth reporting on the fallout from the Iraqi war, multi-part series on foreclosure and immigration, and the lessons of racism. The hosts and reporters also engaged people all across America on their weekends, skydiving or dancing or giving concerts or celebrating the diverse cultures and festivals of our country.
MinnPosts’s David Brauer reports more cuts are coming:
Margaret Ann Hennen, APM’s VP of Corporate Communications, says, “Yes, there will be further reductions, but we don’t know when or what. This is part of the alignment of revenues and expenses … that has been going on for the last year. We continue to make very methodical decisions.”
As Linda Ellerbee used to say, “and so it goes.”
