‘Raises for everyone,’ Susan Goldberg tells GBH employees in an upbeat end-of-the-fiscal-year message

A trusted source just sent along an unexpectedly upbeat message to the staff from Susan Goldberg, CEO of GBH, one of Boston’s two major news-focused public media outlets.

GBH has been cutting local programming since before Donald Trump and the Republican Congress zeroed out funding for public media. It’s also added some back, and it recently completed a merger with New England Public Media in Western Massachusetts. But it was only in March that Goldberg told Boston Globe media reporter Aidan Ryan that she was interested in merging (sub. req.) with GBH’s main rival, WBUR — something that the latter’s general manager, Margaret Low, sounded distinctly uninterested in.

Anyway, Goldberg emphasizes the positive in her missive to employees, writing that GBH has broken fundraising records, added 50,000 members and supporters, and created news business models, especially on YouTube. And she puts the operation’s money where her mouth is, annoucing 3% across-the-board raises. Her full message follows.

Folks,

It was just over 11 months ago that Congress clawed back $1.1 billion from public media — a vote that ultimately cost GBH alone some $20 million a year. And that doesn’t count the millions of dollars we also lost when a different federal program that paid for children’s programming was suspended.

Without a doubt, it was a big hit.

Today, a week away from the close of FY26, we officially can celebrate what has turned out to be a remarkable and enormously successful year. Despite that rocky start — and because of your hard work, ingenuity, and determination —  we:

— Broke fundraising records across the board, at every giving level, age range, geography, and platform.

— Added more than 50,000 new members and supporters (with half signing up as sustainers), bringing total membership among GBH, NEPM, and CAI to more than 250,000.

— Gained efficiencies and synergies by breaking down silos, including the new documentary unit (especially with digital strategies), and the merger with NEPM, which will allow true collaborations statewide on everything from news to development to marketing.

— Began in earnest to create new business models, including an advertising strategy on YouTube, a broader footprint for sponsorship across platforms, and the formation of a brand studio.

— Kept a tight rein on expenses and hiring, operating nimbly across the organization. Keep it up!

— Expanded our excellent, relevant, and, at times, revelatory storytelling, with new programs and dramas designed to make a difference — and attract audiences and attention.

We are delighted to be able to acknowledge these financial and creative successes with across-the-board raises of 3% — approved by our Board of Trustees at their June meeting — and, additionally, bonuses tied to individual performance.

We are proud of what we have accomplished, and thrilled a year that started in a trough ended in a triumph. None of it would have happened without you.

As we turn our attention to FY27, we have the opportunity to be proactive — rather than just reactive — about our goals. The last year gives us an incredible foundation on which to build, and there is much exciting work ahead to cement and multiply these gains.

This year should remind us that people of all ages and stages believe in our mission, and that they’ll take direct action to keep it, helping us expand our work on every platform — for kids, communities, news junkies, music buffs, documentary watchers, social media followers, and more.

As I think about the last 12 months, I feel inspired by where we’ve been — and energized about where we’re going. I hope you feel the same way.

Thank you again for all you did to make it possible, and congratulations.

Susan