NPR announced today it will layoff 10% of its workforce stating the erosion of advertising revenue to their podcasts and tough financial outlook for the media industry.
In a memo to staff, CEO John Lansing wrote, “”When we say we are eliminating filled positions, we are talking about our colleagues – people whose skills, spirit and talents help make NPR what it is today. This will be a major loss.” Where the cuts will take place have not been determined yet, but NPR’s David Folkenflik reports that they will not fall evenly across the organization. Lansing told Folkenflik, “I don’t anticipate that it would be like a haircut across every division, because that’s just not management. Management is about committing to strategy, making tough decisions.” Decisions are set to be made the week of March 20.
NPR anticipates missing their $300 million budget by $30-32 million due to the revenue shortfalls.
Chris Johnson
The days of needing a government subsidized radio or TV platform in the form of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting has long passed. Just like any other media outlet, they should stand or fall with the revenue they generate from selling their audiences to advertisers. If there is a particular state-level need to help subsidize their operations, then they should work on a state-level to obtain that support, not on a federal level.