What’s going on:
Amid a $30 million budget shortfall, NPR‘s Chief Executive Officer John Lansing has declared restructuring and cost-cutting moves as “existential” for the news organization as corporate sponsorships weaken.
As a result, 10% of its workforce have been laid off and four of its podcasts have been cancelled.
Why it matters:
This decision was initially announced last month and became official last week, after attempts to make ends meet by reducing open roles and nonessential travel proved insufficient.
NPR is set to make the largest staff reduction since the 2008 recession, with the layoffs of around 100 people and the cancelling of numerous open roles. This will bring the total workforce from around 1,200 to around 1,050 employees.
How it’ll impact the future:
Aside from NPR, recently layoffs have affected other major media sources such as Gannett, CNN and Vox Media, as well as tech giants like Amazon, Google and Meta. It’s unclear when layoffs will subside in these industries.
