News organizations don't like to become news items, but that's what has happened repeatedly in the past month at Minnesota Public Radio and its parent company, American Public Media (APM).
First was an internal memo that John McTaggart, the nonprofit's president and CEO sent to employees on June 29. He announced changes "that will enable us to focus our resources in ways that will create stronger and even better experiences for our audiences." That would include layoffs and reassignments within APM, McTaggart said, with additional changes in staffing and programming to follow last month.
"We cannot succeed with 'business as usual,' " he wrote.
True to his word, McTaggart announced on July 14 that APM had sold its three-station classical network in Florida, eliminating about 10 positions and an operation that was losing money. On July 23 came word that MPR had eliminated 11 positions in its newsroom, about 13 percent of its workforce.
And then came last Monday's announcement that APM had pulled the plug on the radio version of "Wits," a music and comedy show produced in St. Paul and geared to a younger audience that aired in more than 100 U.S. markets.
"It's not a general belt-tightening," said Dave Kansas, executive vice president and chief operating officer at MPR and APM, in an interview. "Like other media companies, our audience demands are growing rapidly, and we have to make strategic choices about how we're going to direct our assets and the time that we spend on things."
St. Paul-based APM is one of the largest producers of public radio programming, with a portfolio that includes "A Prairie Home Companion," "Marketplace" and classical music programming. The shows run across the nation. APM also has units that include MPR, Southern California Public Radio and, until last week, Classical South Florida.
The organization and its subsidiaries reported $123.7 million in total support and earned revenue, and $124.8 million in expenses, according to an independent audit of APM's consolidated financial statements that cover the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014.