KUT/KUTX asking for voluntary furloughs, early retirement to stave off $1M shortfall next year

No official announcement has been made by leadership at KUT/KUTX, which is housed on the University of Texas at Austin campus and recently completed a membership and donation drive. The request came through email, staffers said, and includes a 25% pay incentive for eligible staffers who take early retirement before Sept. 30.

"The recession has come to @KUT," veteran station reporter Mose Buchele tweeted. "This is hard."

The request is an apparent attempt to avoid the more extreme cuts that have plagued media organizations in Austin, most deeply at the Austin American-Statesman, which temporarily furloughed its entire staff on a rotating basis in the early weeks of the pandemic, and more recently laid off seven longtime staffers.

Reactions on social media were swift and supportive, with listeners suggesting that KUT hold an emergency fundraising drive and praising the work the staff has done.

"I feel this community would rally behind an emergency pledge drive in record numbers. Just sayin. We all appreciate the work you guys do day in day out," tweeted one listener.

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KUT and KUTX get 87% of their annual operating budget of $13.21 million from local members and businesses, about 5% from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the rest from fees and grants, according to the KUT website.

Here's how you can support KUT and KUTX.