NPR cuts $5 million as public radio stations struggle to pay bills : NPR

NPR executives are scanning the horizon for storm clouds, even while plan Cease all federal funds for public media.

NPR executive director Katherine Maher, told the board of directors in an open session on Friday that the annual budget of $ 300 million of the network would be balanced. Like that of the Federal Government, the fiscal year of NPR begins on October 1.

In NPR and many member stations, the listener’s contributions have been significantly reduced. They are helping to compensate for cuts, at least in the short term.

But the dynamics are so volatile that officials say in private that it is difficult to know where the finances of the public radio system or how lung will last that generosity.

NPR News spoke with seven people with direct knowledge of the events for this story. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about internal network matters.

So NPR has not yet revealed its broader strategy or many details about the budget that addresses new financial circumstances. NPR officials rejected several requests to comment for this story. Maher and his leadership team celebrate a meeting of all staff with employees on Wednesday.

According to three of the people with direct knowledge, NPR plans to make the ornaments total more than $ 5 million during the next fiscal year to launch their annual budget. Does not plan significant dismissals or programming changes.

Public radio stations seek more help

Maher offers $ 8 million in relief to the stations most affected by the cost of paying NPR programs. She says that this figure has not requested cuts; NPR shares have anticipated giving that level of relief and is already doing it this year, according to the testimony of a senior network official in their Demand against Trump Administration.

Some local NPR station officials say their requests have been received and processed immediately. Many, however, argue that they will need more network help. A tracker created by a public radio consultant has identified 332 layoffs in public media Since July 18, when the Congress led by the Republicans, to the public media of President Trump.

Ash First reported by Ben Mullin or the New York TimesAn association of two boxes of the NPR and PBS stations in Florida wrote to Maher and the NPR Board asking for greater Relief and more transparency around NPRS efforts to raise more money.

“In a nutshell, the Rate relief plan that NPR has proposed is not enough to maintain many NPR programs in large part of Florida,” the members of the association wrote. “We understand NPR plans to visit the rate model for [fiscal year 2027]But none or we can expect so much. The cuts of state and federal funds are already affecting us, and now we are making decisions about our … Budgets and schedules of programs. “

In June, Florida eliminated almost $ 6 million in state funds for NPR and PBS stations.

NPR has invested funds and efforts in new efforts of collaborative reports that allow the stations to coordinate their efforts. He has emphasized the efforts to raise money so that he would share donations locally. And has also sought new income.

NPR Music has placed an “Donate Now” experimental button in small desktop concerts, including last Friday’s session with Ed Sheeran. (Funds must be shared with local stations). And on Tuesday, NPR called Sonali Mehta, one who began in the music business on YouTube, as executive director of NPR Music.

In WNIN TRI-STATE PUBLIC MEDIA, owner of a small public radio and television station based in Evansville, Indiana, the officials faced with the Loss of state funds from the Indiana Legislature Before Congress made its move in April. The donors responded quickly, doubling the level of contributions received from April to August compared to the same period of the previous year.

That has completely covered the combined stations of $ 1.5 million of federal and state coffers, but has prevented the station from taking advantage of its rainy day fund so far. Instead, Wnin’s president and CEO, Tim Black, announced Tuesday that he is cutting five positions, or approximately a fifth of his workforce.

Black says NPR and PBS made “generous” reductions in the cost for the station to execute their programs; Other public radio unions, including those behind This American life and Hidden brainHe offered to give up next year’s costs to continue transmitting his programs.

“We were never going to get away from our basic PBS and NPR shows,” says Black. “Rate reductions helped consolidate that decision.”

Three stations are removed from the NPR network

The public radio network currently has 244 member stations. That figure has decreased by two of last year, since the stations in Alabama, Oregon and Florida have eliminated their affiliation with NPR, while one in Baltimore has registered.

The number of stations that the shutter can obtain could reach 70 to 80, according to the maher and extern consultants.

The outgoing president of the NPR Board, Jennifer Ferro, said that people interested in public media are in depth, even at a time when confidence in the main institutions, including the media, has reached the minimum of all time.

“This will require you to work differently,” Ferro said in an open session of the meeting of the Board on Friday, “to trade with an old business model, for new collaborations, shared services and a new way so that we do what we should do: what you should do, what you should do, what it is to do, what it is to do, what you should do, what you should do, what you should do, what you should do:

Ferro also delivered a support vote for Maher.

“She believes in the power of our system, and knows that for NPR to succeed, the stations must succeed,” Ferro said.

The NPR member station in Huntsville, Alabama, announced last week that it would be an affiliation to the network and stop transmitting its programs on October 1. WLRH, which is formatted as a classical music station when no more resources are transmitted to NPron. He. He said it.

“WLRH staff will work together to return to the roots of the stations to focus more on our existing long -standing local programs, as well as develop a new program to better reflect our community,” said the station in an announcement. “The WLRH audience will listen to more local news, arts, culture, classical music and music of all genres, and original narration.”

The stations on the Oregon coast and in the city of Panama, Florida, are also leaving their affiliation with NPR.

Such movements are not all in one address: the NPR executive in charge of the station’s relations informed the Board in the open session on Friday that the WBJC classic station in Baltimore owned by a community school should join NPR.

However, closures are difficult to predict.

After the Board of Directors of the Finance Committee of the State University of Penn State refused to transfer the public radio station that has Whyy in Philadelphia, the University decided to close it at the end of next June. The transfer proposal included a plan to pay $ 17 million of about five years to help why absorb costs. The trusts cited the loss of federal funds to make the decision to close WPSU.

The financial relationship of CPB and NPR about to end

The Corporation for public broadcasting, which Congress established more than half a century ago to distribute federal money to public and radio television stations, will be closed effectively on September 30. A bone staff will be for several months to reduce it.

Until now, PBS (such as local PBS stations) has typically recovered about 15% of federal sources income. PBS has lost money for educational projects for children of the United States Department of Education, as well as its CPB funds; PBS officials announced earlier this month that it was Cut 15% of your jobs.

NPR received much less money from the federal government – around 1 to 2% or its budget in a typical year.

CPB last year promised to grant NPR a subsidy of $ 1.96 million for a new initiative designed for the justice of the surface in the coverage of the network and to reinforce public confidence after a Accused veteran editor NPR or ideological bias. That statement had helped feed a public protest and a Clamor among the Republicans of Congress Kill taxpayers funds for network programs.

According to the CPB, so far it has paid only $ 550,000, or a little more than a quarter of the promised amount. He says he is working to meet payments in the editorial review and other contractual brigations.

The initiative includes a new editorial review counter in which senior editors analyze almost all NPR news coverage before transmitting, transmitting or publishing. NPR expects to receive money on the waning days of CPB, but you are not sure if you do.

Disclosure: This story was written and informed by the NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik. She was edited by the Business Editor Emily Kopp and the managing editor Gerry Holmes. According to the NPR protocol to cover ITELF, no news executive or corporate operation reviewed the story before it was publicly published.