NPR has laid off 10 journalists, including veteran reporters, and accepted voluntary buyouts from at least 18 additional news staffers as part of a cost-cutting reorganization.The public broadcaster also plans to leave eight positions unfilled.
The total staff reductions amount to 4% of NPR’s content division, which covers the newsroom and podcasts. No employees working on news programs or podcasts were affected, according to the network.
Editor-in-Chief Thomas Evans addressed the cuts in a memo to staff, calling the day “incredibly heavy.”
“Today has been incredibly heavy, and I want to acknowledge how difficult it is to say goodbye to our colleagues,” Evans wrote.
The moves aim to save $8 million amid an expected $15 million drop in revenue from member stations. They stem directly from Congress’s vote last summer to eliminate federal subsidies for public media.
While NPR itself received only about 1% of its budget from federal funds, the broader cuts severely impacted local public radio stations that pay NPR for national programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. This has triggered a wave of layoffs and reductions at stations across the country, as well as at PBS.
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher and Evans announced the changes last week, describing them as targeted and necessary to address the new financial reality.