NEW YORK — A projected $12 million budget deficit has led the noncommercial secular radio operation serving the New York Tri-State Area to move forward with its second round of layoffs in a year.
As such, significant cuts are being made at the two radio stations operated by New York Public Radio.
But, will listeners notice any of the dollar-driven staff trimming at NPR Member WNYC-FM 93.9 and WNYC-AM 820, shows tied to WNYC Studios, and at Classical WQXR-FM 105.9 and WQXW-FM 90.3, the latter serving a portion of Westchester County?
That’s yet to be determined, with NYPR President/CEO LaFontaine Oliver moving forward with a plan to eliminate 26 of 302 positions. The reduction-in-force results in the cancellation of WNYC’s Notes from America, the shuttering of the WQXR podcast division, and a decrease in live events. In addition, WQXR will no longer feature morning newscasts and will go without hosts during its nighttime hours.
The $12 million shortfall is $2 million greater than what Oliver had forecast just one month ago.
As reported by Gothamist, which is owned by NYPR, the reduction-in-force initiative due to the budget gap has led to concern and frustration among staff; previous commitments from management to bolster local news coverage are now being questioned. Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA union representatives have criticized NYPR leadership for repeating past mistakes of content reduction, which they view as short-term fixes rather than sustainable solutions to the financial issues.
Jennifer Houlihan Roussel, a spokesperson for NYPR, confirmed the financial difficulties and the expected annual savings of $6 million from the recent cuts. However, specifics about executive compensation were not disclosed, heightening ongoing discussions about salary transparency at NYPR.
Historical data from IRS filings reveal previous top executive salaries ranging from $433,000 to $773,169.
The financial situation for public radio is increasingly precarious.
NPR has seen a 30% drop in weekly listeners since 2020, with many stations facing economic hardships. Recent staff reductions include an 8% cut at San Francisco’s KQED and a buyout plan at KPCC in Los Angeles, branded as “LAist.” Other NPR Member operations, such as WBUR-FM in Boston; Santa Monica College’s tastemaker KCRW, Chicago Public Radio, American University-owned WAMU in Washington, and CapRadio in Sacramento have also implemented buyouts and layoffs in the past year.
CapRadio is particularly beleaguered, with its spoken word and Classical/Jazz services under extreme scrutiny.
