Public TV and radio icon KQED was already deep in red ink even before Trump came back to office, but is now laying off at least 45 more employees, as corporate contributions dry up and Trump is likely yanking more of their funding.

It had to have been awkward for KQED reporter Vanessa Rancaño to write Tuesday’s article about KQED laying off 15% of their staff as the public TV and radio station struggles with a $12 million deficit. But it was probably similarly awkward for KQED reporter Erin Baldassari to write about KQED’s 34 layoffs in May 2024, which tells us that the station’s financial predicament is not exactly new, and definitely predates Donald Trump coming back to office.    

But the Chronicle’s reporting on the KQED layoffs notes that the station will surely be hurt by the Trump funding cuts, as the US Senate is soon to vote on rescinding $1.1 billion from NPR and PBS that had already been already granted (that proposal has passed the House of Representatives). And the station’s corporate contributions and financial grants have been dwindling, as Trump has successfully bullied corporate America into not making donations toward causes he does not care for.

“KQED is in the midst of one of the most difficult moments in the 71-year history of the station,” KQED said in a Tuesday statement released once the layoffs started making news reports. “There are a number of concurrent attempts to eliminate or impair federal funding for public media. Meanwhile market conditions and the possibility of a recession have brought downward trends in the key revenue areas of corporate sponsorship and underwriting as well as foundations and grants.”

According to KQED’s own report on the layoffs, there are 45 people losing their jobs, and “the cuts impact every level of the organization, from top executives to custodial staff.” In addition to those 45 people being pink-slipped, 12 more employees took voluntary departure buy-out deals. The station also plans to stop contributing to employee retirement plans and temporarily freeze pay raises.

It is tempting, and probably fair, to say that maybe KQED should not have splurged on that $94 million renovation of their headquarters just four years ago, as their current $12 million deficit is just a drop in the bucket compared the to pricey renovation.

But KQED has been around for 62 years, gets some of the highest ratings of any public TV or radio station in the country, and they’ve been through a few rough patches before. The current downsize plan is projected to eliminate KQED’s deficit in a little more than a year, so this probably does not represent an existential threat to the legendary Bay Area institution KQED, and the station may be fine in the long run.

Related: Longtime 'Forum' Host on KQED, Michael Krasny, Announces Retirement [SFist]

Image: Elaine Y via Yelp