GBH launches $225M fundraising campaign as CPB shuts down
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Outside GBH in Brighton. Photo: Courtesy of GBH
GBH launched a $225 million fundraising drive on the heels of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's closure.
Why it matters: Public media stations nationwide relied on funding from CPB before Congress killed its budget this spring.
Threat level: GBH is slated to lose $18 million in funds from CPB's shutdown, but the public media station suggests the long-term costs could be longer.
- GBH didn't say why, but major programming producers like GBH risk losing syndication money if other stations close or stop broadcasting their shows.
Driving the news: GBH announced its three-year "Fund the Future" campaign Wednesday with a video and a message on its electronic sign that's visible from the Mass Pike: "Congress told us to 'Go Fund Yourself.' And with your help, we can."
- The campaign comes at the start of the new fiscal year, when the dedicated funding expires.
Zoom in: The funds would support GBH News and GBH-produced children's shows like "Arthur," "Molly of Denali" and "Work it out Wombats!"
- The fund would also support the creation of a documentary film unit to work across "Frontline," "NOVA" and "American Experience." (Raney Aronson-Rath, executive producer of Frontline, was tapped to oversee all of GBH's documentary series.)
What they're saying: "This is a time when facts are being questioned and communities crave connection," Susan Goldberg, GBH's president and CEO, said in a news release.
- "GBH is doubling down on our values, focused on protecting independent journalism and making trusted, educational, and inspirational content accessible to everyone."
Between the lines: GBH also said in a press release that the funds will help the station in "transitioning to an innovative and sustainable business model through digital innovation, distribution and streaming opportunities" for decades.
- It's unclear what that would look like, but like any other news outlet, GBH grapples with how to be sustainable in a fast-changing media landscape.
- The station laid off 13 "American Experience" employees in July and paused the show's production, citing federal funding cuts.
The $225 million goal covers the projected $18 million loss and extra funding the station seeks to become sustainable, along with its typical annual fundraising goal, a GBH spokesperson told Axios.
- Asked whether layoffs were still on the table, a GBH spokesperson declined to comment.