More Staffing Cuts at NY Public Radio — Digital Formats, Declining Radio Listenership Blamed

Photo Credit: John Jemison

New York Public Radio is making cuts to staffers and programming across several of its stations, including canceling multiple podcasts.NYPR CEO & President LaFontaine Oliver delivered the news to staffers in an email on Thursday, stating cuts in the local news room, the cancellation of the “Notes from America” show with Kai Wright, and stopping production on WQXR podcasts. The staff note also says NYPR will reduce the number of events planned at The Greene Space, a venue and multimedia production studio located in Lower Manhattan.

In the letter, Oliver blames declining listenership for its radio programs, as well as a shift in advertising dollars to focusing on digital platforms. The Gothamist reports out of 302 total employees, 14 staffers were laid off and 12 took voluntary layoffs. “The moment we’re in is requiring us to make fundamental changes so we can remain viable and relevant for years to come,” Oliver wrote.

A New York Public Radio spokesperson declined to confirm LaFontaine Oliver’s compensation package as the CEO & President of NYPR. His former compensation as the President & CEO of Baltimore Public Media Corporation was $292,150. According to ProPublica, NYPR reported revenue of $73,675,936 for the fiscal 2023 year, with expenses of $87,923,886. Some of the highest paid employees and officers on that list include:

Amy O’Hara — $617,929Rebecca Hasse — $610,455Cynthia King Vance — $528,759Brian Lehrer — $469,512Andrew Golis — $406,164Cuts will hit public radio news station WNYC 93.9, podcast production house WNYC Studios and classical WQXR 105.9 FM. Cuts to the classical station will include eliminating morning news casts and featuring no hosts during the night time programming.“We are gutted that our organization’s leaders have one again decided to lay off the people who make New York Public Radio,” reads a written statement released by union stewards of SAG-AFTRA, who represent their colleagues. “NYPR continues to recycle a playbook focused on content cuts that amount to a short-term band-aid rather than a long-term solution to our multi-million dollar deficit.”

The cuts made are expected to save around $6 million annually. NYPR cut 6% of its staffers last year and cancelled the podcasts “More Perfect” and “La Brega.”