NPR is offering voluntary buyouts to roughly 300 employees, mostly within its newsgathering desks, as the network works to close a significant budget shortfall caused by the loss of federal funding and declining revenue streams.
According to a report by NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik, NPR CEO Katherine Maher wrote in an internal memo that the outlet has to fill a gap of $8 million in its $300 million annual budget. The shortfall stems from congressional action last year, when President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers cut federal funding to public media. On top of that, NPR is expected to earn $15 million less in station fees this year and is anticipating a drop in corporate sponsorship revenue.
The network is seeking up to 30 staffers to voluntarily accept a buyout by May 26. Hosts and staff of NPR's news programs are not eligible for the buyout offers. NPR has 425 newsroom employees total, according to NPR editor-in-chief Thomas Evans. If not enough employees take the buyout voluntarily, layoffs could follow.
Evans addressed the situation directly. "We have to change this organization," he said. "We have to think about this audience. We have to think about how they are consuming us. We have to think about the member stations. We have to keep what I consider to be the last truly independent newsroom in the country healthy and alive and vibrant."
Maher also addressed the difficulty of the decision in her memo. "We have made every effort to preserve the core capacity and strengths of what makes NPR different and distinct," she wrote. "This is never an easy choice to make, to have to cut anywhere near the newsroom."
The announcements come just weeks after NPR received $113 million in charitable gifts from two major donors. Liberal philanthropist Connie Ballmer donated $80 million, while the remainder came from an anonymous source. However, that money was specifically designated for technological innovation and cannot be applied to the general budget gap the network is facing.
At the time of her donation, Ballmer explained her reasoning. "I support NPR because an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism," she said. "My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network."
NPR and PBS have both been targeted by Trump and Republican lawmakers over allegations of political bias in recent years, accusations that both organizations have denied. The GOP-controlled Congress voted to cut funding from both public media organizations, a policy Republicans had campaigned on for decades. PBS felt the impact as well, with its PBS News Weekend airing its final episode following the spending cuts.
NPR did not respond to a request for comment on the buyout announcement.
