Chicago Public Media announces layoffs, shutters Vocalo
WBEZ and Sun-Times owner closes content generator comes after 17 years amid storm of controversy
In a controversial move, the non-profit Chicago Public Media has announced layoffs of fourteen people and dissolved its content development unit, responsible for producing several podcasts. As a result, Nerdette, Making, and When Magic Happens are ending.
Of the fourteen laid off, nine were from WBEZ, four were from the Sun-Times, and one was from the management.
However, Reset – recently reduced to an hour on terrestrial WBEZ, will continue in podcast form with The Rundown and a weekly feature, Curious City.
Also axed was Vocalo, a branded urban alternative format running on three stations – WBEZFM HD2; WBEW-FM Chesterton, Ind; and translator W216CL, playing an eclectic mix of R&B, hip-hop, and jazz and targeted to the Chicago area’s Black community. Fifteen years ago, the Vocalo name was used for WBEZ’s branded news and information service and employed now-retired media columnist Robert Feder for a few years. Two unionized members of the Vocalo staff now shift to WBEZ’s arts and culture coverage as the unit will close at the end of the month.
Also eliminated in the cuts is WBEZ’s fellowship program, ending in fiscal 2025.
“These are painful decisions that affect our valued colleagues”, said CEO Matt Moog and Chairman Robert Pasin in a memo. “We are working diligently to minimize the negative impact on each individual and provide them with financial and transitional support. We are so grateful for their many contributions over the years. As we head into another intense news cycle during a consequential election year, reliable local news and information matter now more than ever. Yet, like many news organizations, our traditional sources of revenue — sponsorship, advertising, subscription and membership, and philanthropic funding — are not growing to support our mission.”
As you can imagine, the news did not go over very well. SAG-AFTRA blasted the decision, noting in a statement: “This involuntary layoff — coupled with positions that have not been filled in the last year — represents a significant reduction in WBEZ’s content unit. These losses are devastating to our listeners and members. The decision also contradicts [Chicago Public Media’s] stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion — both at WBEZ and to communities of color that we serve.”
The Sun-Times Guild also criticized the move in a letter: “Sun-Times Guild leadership is disturbed by the layoffs of nine of our siblings and five non-union colleagues at the Sun-Times and WBEZ. We are demanding financial transparency from the Chicago Public Media board and management about the future of the organization.”
Revenues at WBEZ grew 20 percent in the 2023 fiscal period topping at $38.7 million, with expenses growing by 5 percent and a profit of $8.7 million. Of note, CEO Moog – who announced his departure months ago – received a 19 percent raise in 2022 and made $633,310 with $149,592 of that in bonuses and incentives, according to the Sun-Times Guild. CPM execs received a total of $378,642 in bonuses in 2022.
The cuts also come as WBEZ recently moved into a new $6.4 million state-of-the-art facility in Navy Pier.
In 2022, the Sun-Times and WBEZ finalized a $61 million non-profit merger, the largest of its kind in recent history coming a year after the Supreme Court upheld the FCC’s decision to repeal the 47-year-old cross-ownership rules in a 9-0 decision, which prohibited a company from owning a newspaper, radio station, and TV station in the same media market unless grandfathered in.
Reaction on social media was critical of WBEZ’s actions:
It was an honor telling Black stories through the MAKING podcast.
— Brandon Pope TV (@BpopeTV) April 3, 2024
This is a major loss for the city of Chicago. My heart breaks for my hardworking WBEZ and Vocalo colleagues who have lost their jobs. Their impact can’t be discarded. I hope management reconsiders. https://t.co/K97wiCtC8R
14 beloved Chi Public Media @WBEZ @chicago_sun colleagues were laid off today. The station decimated efforts to engage young, diverse audiences. Vocalo and artists who made beautiful radio were laid off. I love my job and believe deeply in it, but today I am sad, embarrassed.
— Sarah Karp (@SSKedreporter) April 4, 2024
It’s important to note that @Vocalo and @WBEZ’s podcast unit disproportionately represent the organization’s Black talent and Black-oriented content. Public media orgs like this have claimed this audience has been a priority for over a decade, and yet make cuts there first. https://t.co/IEG1RXC8GQ
— Julian Hayda (@JulianHayda) April 3, 2024
However, some listeners have complained about WBEZ and Vocalo catering too much to the Black and progressive communities in the Chicago area. These complaints have come from both sides of the political spectrum, particularly with tensions surrounding the recent Cook County State’s Attorney race and the conflict in Gaza. There’s a belief WBEZ has taken a sharp turn to the left, alienating more moderate listeners – leading to a drop in revenue and spawning numerous “Go woke, go broke” takes on social media.
You brought this onto yourselves. Instead of being a platform for news and policy – you guys became a bullhorn for progressive causes. In some cases, misleading the audience about issues and elections.
— Man w/o a Plan (@MidWestMet) April 3, 2024
I went from listening every day to actively avoiding @WBEZ because of the hard left identity politics. Go woke go broke
— Starlet Johanssen (@Sister_Havana) April 3, 2024
WBEZ serving as a pipe organ for the far-Left is what brought on this decision.
— Chicago Contrarian (@ChicagoContrar1) April 3, 2024
WBEZ cutting "non-newsroom titles" tells us it sacrificed non-news so it could remain in the business of peddling Left-wing news and far-Left opinion. https://t.co/nQo0ieUQ2S
This comes as ratings for WBEZ are clearly eroding. According to recent Nielsen PPM numbers, WBEZ finished in sixteenth place with a 2.4 rating, down eleven percent from the 2.7 rating earned last period, and 25 percent from the 3.2 rating earned in October. Just four years ago at the height of the pandemic, WBEZ finished as high as fourth with a 5.4 rating and first in the 25-54 demo, meaning WBEZ has lost more than half of its audience since though they note their digital numbers are growing.
The news comes at a time when layoffs at media companies – profit and non-profit – are becoming the norm. While linear TV’s decline and struggling Hollywood studios have garnered more attention, radio stations and print are also struggling, with audio companies such as iHeartMedia and SiriusXM also recently announcing layoffs – not to mention Audacy filing for Chapter 11. Meanwhile, the loss of Vocalo is a significant blow to local fans of indie urban music, particularly in the face of the dominance of mainstream artists like Taylor Swift on radio stations and in pop culture.
As for the reaction, it’s not surprising a station devoted to racial diversity is now retrenching from that mission, regardless of what canned press release they can put out saying otherwise. But in a traditionally racially divided metro area like Chicago – where we consume entertainment and news in far different ways – backlash toward any programming devoted to providing voices of color on mainstream outlets is expected as DEI initiatives are under attack. But the harsh reality is, listeners are voting with their radio presets, clicks, and smartphone swipes, and they are currently rejecting what WBEZ has to offer.