Facing a potential 30 percent reduction in state funding, New Hampshire Public Television has announced a major restructuring plan that will cut 20 positions, reduce staff salaries, and eliminate numerous services.

The $4.45 billion state budget recently approved by the N.H. Senate would slash $2.7 million from NHPTV’s $8.8 million budget. The House and Senate still must agree on a final budget bill before passing it along to Gov. John Lynch, but NHPTV is preparing to offset the “impending loss” of funding, the station said in a press release.  

The restructuring plan eliminates 20 full-time positions, reduces staff salaries by up to 10 percent, reduces the station’s contribution to its staff retirement plan to 1 percent, cancels dozens of contracts and services, and reduces the station’s educational engagement services.

The plan also places several NHPTV programs on hiatus, including “N.H. Outlook” and “Granite State Challenge.” “Windows to the Wild” will continue on a reduced schedule. 

Operating from a broadcast center in Durham, NHPTV has been the state’s only locally owned and operated state-wide television network for more than 50 years. It’s a licensee of the University System of New Hampshire, which stands to lose 45 percent of its state funding.

NHPTV board chair Mark Collins called the funding cuts “devastating” but vowed the station would continue operating and searching for operational efficiencies, perhaps collaborating with other public broadcasters in New England.