Bloodbath brews at NPR due to federal funding cut — as 300 buyouts offered

[1srelluc]

Bloodbath brews at NPR due to federal funding cut — as 300 buyouts offered

NPR management expects only about 30 employees to accept the buyouts voluntarily, meaning layoffs could follow if too few workers opt in.

nypost.com

NPR is slashing jobs and restructuring its newsroom as the public-radio giant grapples with a financial crunch fueled by federal funding cuts, weakening station revenue and dramatic changes in how Americans consume news.

The nonprofit broadcaster told staff this week that roughly 300 employees, mostly on newsgathering desks, are eligible for voluntary buyouts as executives scramble to close an $8 million budget gap.

NPR management expects only about 30 employees to accept the buyouts voluntarily, meaning layoffs in the 425-strong newsroom could follow if too few workers opt in.

NPR’s crisis traces back at least to last summer, when Congress voted to eliminate roughly $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, dealing a massive blow to local stations that pay NPR for programming.

Though NPR has long said direct federal grants account for less than 1% of its budget, the organization depends heavily on fees from member stations, many of which are now under severe financial strain.

NPR CEO Katherine Maher told staff the organization expects a $15 million drop in station-fee revenue while sponsorship revenue is also softening amid economic uncertainty and declining radio listening.

The exec has become a lightning rod for conservatives, who have accused her of bringing lefty politics into public broadcasting.

The downsizing comes during a grim moment for the news biz, with the Washington Post seeing brutal cuts and CBS News launching layoffs earlier this year.

I was having a good day before I read this......Now I am really happy.

I guess they realized it did not require 425 employees to recycle every news story with the spin:

- cisgender white males are the cause of all evil in the world....

 

[The Irish Ram]

Our government needs to stop handing out our money. If you can't make it based on your ability, then you go out of business. That is competition capitalism. Subsidies should be rare, not promised to every failing attempt to stay relevant.

 

[1srelluc]

NPR CEO Katherine Maher told staff the organization expects a $15 million drop in station-fee revenue while sponsorship revenue is also softening amid economic uncertainty and declining radio listening.

LOL....She really did not think the dems would give them their money now did she....Maybe let them buy a Holly Farms pack of Summer Sausages for $50.00 and they can use EBT as it counts as food.

 

[cnm]

Our government needs to stop handing out our money. If you can't make it based on your ability, then you go out of business. That is competition capitalism. Subsidies should be rare, not promised to every failing attempt to stay relevant.

Your farmers agree. They don't want the subsidies they're forced to take from the US tax payers because their farm business practices are not viable.

 

[Eman623]

Take a note.

Driving away half your news viewership and becoming so hyperpatisan that the federal funding gets cut is a bad idea.

 

[The Irish Ram]

Your farmers agree. They don't want the subsidies they're forced to take from the US tax payers because their farm business practices are not viable.

The very reason I said subsidies should be rare and not gotten rid of completely. Our food sources are subject to ridiculous government regulations, insects, drought, flooding, fire, insects, and scores of other weather anomalies such as severe wind, hail, frost etc. They aren't competing, their role stays the same, and they are not responsible for loss of their crops. They can't control the environment, and we need to eat, so that needs to continue...