Mixed news from New England stations

An update on three New England pubcasters via The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.: WAMC in Albany, N.Y., has cut staff by 5 percent through attrition and layoffs. Also, Word to the Wise, a longtime daily feature, was discontinued after Merriam-Webster withdrew its funding. WHMT in Schenectady, N.Y., with a budget deficit of $235,000, just mailed its 30,000 members letters marked "urgent, action needed!" G.m. Scott Sauer cited "a serious financial shortfall" during the December fund drive. New York pubcasters also have started a webpage, SaveNYPBS.org, to counter Gov. David Patterson's pending 50 percent funding cut. Happier news at WFCR in Amherst, Mass., where a recent two-week fund drive brought in almost $200,000, exceeding the station's goal by $15,000.