Overview
- NPR confirmed on Wednesday that fewer than 30 roles in its content division will be eliminated through at least 18 voluntary buyouts, 10 immediate layoffs, and by leaving eight open positions unfilled.
- Most employees who took buyouts will remain through July 17 while laid-off staff left immediately and will receive severance equal to the buyout terms.
- Several veteran reporters and editors, including Don Gonyea, Vickie Walton-James and Joe Shapiro, accepted buyouts and others such as science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce were laid off.
- NPR leaders say the moves are a targeted effort to close an $8 million shortfall tied to an anticipated $15 million drop in member station revenue after federal subsidy cuts, even as the network used a $33 million anonymous gift partly to aid stations.
- Union representatives criticized the cuts and asked whether executives will share in the financial impact, and industry observers warn the reductions follow wider pain at local public radio and television stations that fund NPR programming.