Utah PBS television station KUED Channel 7 will cut back some of its local programming after laying off three staff members.

The local public affairs program "Utah NOW," which ran on Friday nights, will now be cut back to four times a year, said KUED General Manager Larry Smith.

The station also canceled a locally-produced broadcast of a Veterans Day concert and one independent documentary made each year outside the station.

The cut in programming is the result of new layoffs at the station, which included "Utah NOW's" producer, a public relations spokesperson and a station engineer.

"Over the course of the last 18 months we've laid off 14 positions, which is something we've really struggled with," Smith said. "We're getting the double whammy of state cuts, and our private income is down because of the economy."

Smith said the station's annual budget went from about $8.5 million to $7 million last year.

Four of the station's full-time staffers also went voluntarily to three-quarter time, said spokeswoman Mary Dickson.

"It's just so sad," she said. "We are down to the bone. There's nowhere else to cut."

The reduction in broadcasts for "Utah NOW," which is hosted by radio host Doug Fabrizio, comes just after the show garnered three local Emmy awards for excellence in public affairs programming, Smith said.

KUED is funded both by government money allocated by the state Legislature and by private donations.

vince@sltrib.com