The Next Wave of Trouble for NPR: Local Layoffs
When I write posts like this one, I feel no joy whatsoever. People I have worked with in the past will be losing their jobs. Their families will be newly vulnerable to forces that are sweeping through our entire economy now, much as Hurricane Katrina did, when she devastated the Gulf Coast over three years ago.
Last month, I reported about the unprecedented layoffs at NPR, one of our very best news sources in the country. Tonight, based on multiple sources, it is my sad duty to report that the damage did not end at the national level.
Our largest local NPR station here in Northern California, KQED, will be implementing the “largest cuts in its history,” according to my sources, within a week. Having lived through the previous worst-ever down-sizing, back in 1995, I can easily imagine how painful this will be.
Unlike inside private sector media companies, public broadcasting is an extremely low-paying place to work. Those accustomed to private sector salaries would be shocked to learn how little those familiar voices and faces from your local radio and TV outlets get paid for their work.
So, as they lose their jobs, they are even less likely than others to have the resources to sustain themselves going forward. This is a national tragedy. As our current media industry disappears, many of our most selfless practitioners will be going silent.
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In addition to serving as a BNET Media analyst/blogger, David Weir is a veteran journalist and the author of several books. Weir is a co-founder and vice-president of the Center for Investigative Reporting, as well as an editorial board member of The Nation.
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