KTTZ layoffs come amid seismic change in Lubbock public media landscape

Nine Texas Tech Public Media employees have been laid off effective Sunday and another was asked to retire at the end of this month as part of what the organization calls a "comprehensive restructuring" amid "a rough time to be in media."

The restructure comes during a seismic change in Lubbock's public media landscape, with a newly formed nonprofit organization seeking federal approval to purchase another existing station and transition it from a commercial to noncommercial format.

Texas Tech Public Media, a department of Texas Tech University, operates PBS television stations in Lubbock and El Paso and NPR-affiliated public radio stations in Lubbock and San Angelo, serving an area with more than 1.4 million households.

The layoffs impact the majority of the production staff at 89.1 KTTZ-FM, Lubbock's NPR station, including two producers, according to documents obtained by the Avalanche-Journal. Clint Barrick, the longtime program director and a respected member of the Lubbock arts community, will retire on March 31.

The loss of radio production staff means a number of local news, talk and arts programs will be discontinued, including the popular interview show "Around Town with Nick Bergfeld" and Barrick's arts program "The Front Row." Other programing canceled as of Sunday includes the horticulture show "In The Grow," local music interview program "More Than A Song," music showcase "Music Crossroads of Texas" and "Noche de Tango." The university said this amounts to around 10 hours of programming each week.

Two KTTZ-TV Channel 5 producers were also laid off along with the entire fundraising team for the organization across the three cities. Fundraising efforts will be shifted to an outside entity, according to the documents.

Texas Tech said 16 full-time staffers were retained in Lubbock and El Paso.

The university announced its intent to change the way TTPM operates with a statement released Feb. 9. The announcement did not specifically mention layoffs or staffing reductions, but referred to "a journey to reimagine" the public media organization as it faces fiscal challenges.

"As we look to the future, we see a significant reduction in revenue, including grant funding. That means we have to change, too. In order to continue providing this community platform, Texas Tech Public Media is undergoing a comprehensive restructuring," the statement reads. "In the coming months, you can expect to see changes in programming and partnerships as we streamline our operations, focusing on optimizing efficiency."

Texas Tech officials declined the A-J's request for an interview, but did respond through email to a list of questions on Friday.

The university blamed a lack of sufficient fundraising for what it called a "reduction in force."

"The existing revenue streams, primarily reliant on grants, underwriting and membership, fell short of sustaining Texas Tech Public Media’s current personnel and programming levels," a spokesperson wrote. "The decision to undergo a comprehensive restructuring had to be made to ensure the future sustainability of the organization."

Officials said TTPM will focus future locally produced programming on news intended to appeal to a broad listener base.

"Going forward, Texas Tech Public Media will focus its local radio programming on building a reliable and trusted news operation, which has seen greater listenership and engagement since its inception," Texas Tech said. "Ultimately, all programming must reach the broadest possible audience and find financial support, especially through underwriting and sponsorship."

Stakeholders concerned with direction of Texas Tech Public Media

Several people familiar with the recent events at TTPM declined to speak with the A-J on-record for fear of retribution from the university, but documents show some are discontented with the direction of the media organization and question the university administration and station management's motives for pivoting their operations.

Sherill Skibell worked as a development and fundraising officer at KTTZ-FM for 19 years. On Feb. 18, just more than a week after the stations announced their layoffs, she sent a letter to the president of the Texas Tech Faculty Senate alleging incompetent management and "comingling of funds" have put TTPM in a bad spot.

"In my 19 years at the radio station, there was never a competent manager," Skibell wrote. "I truly believe Texas Tech administration made a decision to let KTTZ die a slow death."

The general manager role at TTPM has been filled by an interim for more than a year. TTPM's community advisory board has not met in that time.

Skibell, who could not be reached for comment, alleged in the letter that donations intended to support public radio were diverted for other uses within the university.

"There has been a lack of oversight and comingling of funds on the part of Texas Tech administration," she wrote. "Very large gifts given specifically to radio went to other departments in the Texas Tech University System."

Tech disputed the claims public media funding was funneled to other programs.

"In accepting philanthropic gifts, Texas Tech takes donor intent very seriously and ensures that contributions are utilized according to the terms of the gift agreement. We maintain transparent and accountable stewardship of all financial gifts, and any suggestion to the contrary is untrue," the university said.

Skibell's letter prompted a Faculty Senate committee investigation into the layoffs at the stations. Lewis Held, chair of the Faculty Status & Welfare Committee, presented the investigation's findings and a written report at a Senate meeting Wednesday night. The Senate unanimously accepted the report.

The A-J obtained a copy of the 10-page report, which includes the committee's investigative findings. According to the report, TTPM is operating with a $487,000 deficit.

The report states that Texas Tech administration found canceling the six local radio shows and laying off the production staff would save the organization around $200,000 per year. But the investigation found those producers had other duties and many of the on-air personalities, like "Around Town" host Nick Bergfeld, were unpaid volunteers.

Also according to the report, the committee is concerned the layoffs could jeopardize hundreds of thousands dollars in Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) grants, which are essentially federal funds that cover the cost of NPR and PBS programming.

KTTZ-FM receives around $136,000 annually from the CPB to broadcast NPR shows, according to the report. The investigative report asserts that money could be at risk because the station will not meet CPB's staffing requirements.

The committee is also concerned the moves could damage faculty and staff morale across the university.

A memo sent to TTPM staff from station leadership and included in the committee report notes KTTZ-FM's two news reporters will continue to produce local journalism, and that the organization will hire a radio operations technician to address operational shortfalls caused by the layoffs. Station leadership said they will continue airing news and education content in place of the discontinued local shows.

TTPM changes precede another possible shakeup in Lubbock's public media landscape

Another potential change to public radio in Lubbock could soon be on the horizon.

Lubbock Public Media, a newly formed nonprofit organization, is seeking permission from the Federal Communications Commission to purchase KRBL, 105.7 FM, a Texas country-formatted Idalou radio station currently licensed to Abilene-based Community Broadcast Partners.

The organization seeks to flip the station's license from commercial to noncommercial in order to air educational programming, according to FCC filings. The nonprofit Lubbock Public Media's board is made up of Ramar Communications partner Brad Moran and three of his immediate family members.

Opponents to the filing allege the move is an attempt by Moran to skirt the FCC's commercial station ownership limits by changing KRBL to a noncommercial station. Moran's radio broadcast company Ramar Communications already owns the maximum number of commercial radio stations in the Lubbock market allowed under federal regulations.

“Ramar and Lubbock Public Media evidently do not intend to acquire KRBL as a noncommercial station primarily to provide additional noncommercial programming in the market, but merely to circumvent the Commission’s multiple ownership rules and allow Ramar to control an additional station in excess of the market’s ownership limits,” crosstown rival Townsquare Media wrote in a petition to deny, which it has since withdrawn.

The filling is still pending.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: KTTZ layoffs come amid seismic change in Lubbock public media landscape