NPR is restructuring its newsroom and cutting reporting and editing positions as it works to adapt to shifting audience habits and operate without federal subsidies.
The moves aim to close an $8 million gap in the organization’s roughly $300 million annual budget.
NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said the network expects to receive $15 million less in fees from member stations this year, along with declining corporate sponsorship revenue, after Congress eliminated federal support for public media.
In a memo to staff, NPR is offering voluntary buyouts to approximately 300 employees, primarily those in newsgathering desks. Staffers on NPR’s news programs, including hosts, are not eligible. Officials expect up to 30 buyouts to be accepted, with targeted layoffs possible if voluntary participation falls short by the May 26 deadline.
The network currently employs 425 people in its newsroom. Seven existing vacancies will remain unfilled as part of the reductions.
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| Katherine Maher |
Maher noted a significant surge in individual donations following Congress’s decision last summer to rescind $1.1 billion previously committed to public media. Those contributions have helped soften the blow for NPR and its member stations, many of which have already implemented their own layoffs.
“The extraordinary generosity of donors across the nation has really mitigated some of the hardest impacts of the loss of federal funding,” Maher said. “I am relieved that that is the case. And now it is our responsibility to ensure that we take that gift that they have given us and use this time to get to a place where we are sustainable for the future.”
Focus on Digital PlatformsNPR plans to overhaul its app and redesign user experiences across platforms to better serve listeners, readers, and viewers. Senior leaders are shifting strategy from “reaching people wherever they are” to driving audiences toward NPR’s own digital properties.