Staff Reductions at NPR

I hate this. It brings back bad memories of when CPBN was going through another round of layoffs. There were many of those at CPBN. For a lot of reasons I knew mine was coming. I could only wait for that shoe to drop. It was an awful feeling. 

Employees at NPR are going through that feeling now. According to an article in the Everett Herald, NPR is offering buyouts to reduce staff by 10%. (Public radio offers buyouts to cut staff 10%)
The reduction is being put in place to offset a $6.1 million deficit. All this comes on the heels of the announced resignation of Gary Knell. Knell is leaving to become CEO of the National Geographic Society. Paul Hagga, Jr. become the interim CEO on September 30.

the RIF will intensify the debate on how NPR funds itself and, where they should be spending their revenue. Can the network sustain itself with a combination of funding from Member's dues and underwriting? Will NPR need to bypass the stations and go directly to the listeners? If NPR cuts out the stations, what then? Has there been too much emphasis on new media efforts and not enough on it's core...the radio audience? Or, has radio become become a cash cow with slowing receding fiscal relevance?