NPR Offers 300 Buyouts, Cuts Newsroom Jobs Over $8 Million Budget Gap

2 articles · Updated · Washington Times · May 21

Roughly 300 NPR employees—mainly on newsgathering desks—were offered buyouts as the network seeks to close an $8 million hole in its $300 million annual budget; targeted layoffs will follow if too few accept by May 26.
Congress’ clawback of $1.1 billion for public media cut member-station programming fees by an expected $15 million this year, while softer sponsorship revenue and weaker web referrals added pressure.
425 newsroom staff face a broader restructuring: National and General Assignments will merge, several coverage areas will be folded into a new society-and-culture desk, and seven open jobs will stay unfilled.
$113 million in recent private gifts helped blunt the funding shock, but most of the money is earmarked for technology rather than day-to-day operations, limiting its use for payroll.
The cuts mark NPR’s second major downsizing in three years and come as U.S. publishers confront shrinking search traffic—down about 38% for American outlets—and a wider wave of newsroom layoffs.

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