NPR Layoffs
By 
I have my own problems with NPR’s news coverage–primarily that it has spent my whole life telling a liberal audience that they should listen to conservatives. But Republicans ending the entire idea of public media is a very bad thing. Now, I thought that NPR was going to be OK because it celebrated two enormous grants of $113 million that I figured would tie them over for awhile. But, no, of course all that money is going to technology instead of core missions and now there are mass layoffs.
NPR is restructuring its newsroom, including cutting some reporting and editing jobs, as it attempts to keep pace with changing audience habits while adjusting to an era without federal subsidies.
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher says the network has to fill a gap of $8 million in its $300-million annual budget because of the elimination of federal subsidies for its member stations, which pay NPR to air programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. In a memo to staff, she said the network expects to earn $15 million less in station fees this year and is anticipating a drop in corporate sponsorship revenue.
The network is offering buyouts to approximately 300 employees, mostly within newsgathering desks in the newsroom. Staff of NPR’s news programs, including hosts, are not eligible.
The actual number of departing journalists will be far smaller, NPR officials say. They say they will accept up to 30 buyouts but more targeted layoffs would ensue if an insufficient number of employees take voluntary buyouts by next Tuesday, May 26.
Paradoxically, just prior to the announcement of these cost-cutting measures, NPR received a pair of private gifts totaling $113 million — representing the network’s second- and third-largest in its 56-year history. Most of that money, however, is dedicated to technological innovation.
Maher also acknowledges a mighty wave of individual contributions following Congress’ vote last summer to take back all $1.1 billion it already had committed to public media. Those donations have helped sustain the network and the member stations, though many have announced their own layoffs over the past year.
Of course, the problem with the donation culture for not only NPR but for nonprofits across the board and very much including universities is that the capitalists make demands to institute their own agendas. Which is why colleges are all in on AI because they serve the capitalists’ demands. So naturally, just giving money to NPR to hire reporters isn’t going to get these billionaires off.