WQLN has laid off fifteen percent of its employees, and now managers are hoping more aren't on the way.

It’s the result of a financial double whammy.

Public contributions are way down due to the recession; on top of that, Gov Ed Rendell wants to cut all state funding to the station – about $1 million – to help close the current deficit in Harrisburg.

That's left the station with 25% less to work with than in the past.

As a result managers today said they had no choice in handing pink slips to 5 of 34 employees, ranging from department heads to administrative assistants.

Remaining employees will also feel the pinch: Station leaders will take pay cuts; everyone will take 2 weeks off without pay; and employee travel, conferences and training are out the window.

“Our goal is for viewers not to see an impact on the services we provide to them,” said Dwight Miller, the president and general manager of WQLN. “We were very strategic in choosing positions to try to minimize the impact that the public will see. But eventually it will have an impact in the long run.”

And that's the rosy scenario.

Officials are hoping to get 30% of their funding back in the final state budget, expected to pass sometime this summer; if that doesn’t happen, they say more layoffs are likely on the way.