NPR To Layoff About 10% Of Current Staff As Financial Outlook Has “Darkened Considerably”
22.02.2023 - 22:39
/ deadline.com
NPR plans to layoff about 10% of its current staff due to the soft ad market and a drop in revenue from corporate sponsors, as well as uncertainties in the global economy overall.
In a memo to staff, NPR CEO John Lansing wrote that “our financial outlook has darkened considerably in recent weeks. At a time when we are doing some of our most ambitious and essential work, the global economy remains uncertain.”
NPR had announced a hiring freeze last year as part of a plan to cut costs amid a $20 million falloff in sponsorship revenue. But for fiscal year 2023, that shortfall is now projected to be at least $30 million, Lansing wrote.
“The cuts we have already made to our budget will not be enough,” Lansing wrote.
NPR’s David Folkenflik, who first reported on the layoffs, wrote that the layoffs impact at least 100 people. NPR also is cutting many of its open positions.
NPR is the latest media outlet to announce layoffs, with The Washington Post, Gannett, NBC News and CNN also trimming staffs recently.
“Unlike the challenges we faced during the worst of the pandemic, we project increasing costs and no sign of a quick revenue rebound,” Lansing wrote. “We must make adjustments to what we control, and that is our spending.”
Lansing said that they do not have a precise figure on the percentage of filled positions that will be cut, as it will depend in part on how many open positions are eliminated. He said that NPR is having internal conversations and bargaining with unions, including SAG-AFTRA and NABET, which cover portions of the workforce.
“Guided by our strategic priorities, we must support NPR’s mission and future with the resources we have,” Lansing wrote. “As we reduce the number of roles at NPR, some work will need