Twin Cities PBS Laying Off Staff After Congress Eliminates Public Media Funding

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Twin Cities PBS (TPT) is laying off staff this week after Congress eliminated all federal funding for public broadcasting.

"Due to the loss of federal funding, we have made the decision to reduce our staff. All impacted staff were notified earlier today, and their last day will be tomorrow, Wednesday, July 23," TPT President and CEO Sylvia Strobel wrote in an internal email obtained by the Star Tribune.

Strobel said the station had been "engaged in intensive advocacy and financial contingency planning for months," but layoffs were ultimately unavoidable.

"We are sad to see our colleagues go and wish them well as they leave TPT," Strobel wrote. "We remain deeply committed to our mission and to protecting TPT and the public media system."

In a separate message sent to TPT members, Strobel called the vote in Congress "the most serious challenge we’ve faced in our 70-year history," noting that the funding cut represents nearly 10 percent of the station’s annual budget. "This decision threatens the trusted, local programming and essential services you rely on," she wrote.

According to TPT, the station reaches more than 80 percent of Minnesotans. In 2024, nearly 30 percent of its over-the-air viewers made less than $25,000 per year, the station said, describing public television as a "lifeline."

"This decision threatens the future of Twin Cities PBS and the free, essential services we provide to our community every day," the station said.

TPT is now urging viewers to donate to keep its programming accessible and free. "Now is the moment to give," the station said. "Only you can make sure we’re here for 70 more years."