NPR To Cut More Than 24 Staff Members

SANTA MONICA—NPR, a publicly funded media outlet in Los Angeles County, has been forced to cut the size of their staff by more than two dozen people due to drastic budgets cuts proposed by the company that lower management is forced to comply with.

NPR’s KCRW-FM affiliate, which predominately airs on 88.9 in the Santa Monica area, is getting hit hard with firings and layoffs, as 24 employees from the station allowed their contracts to be bought out and 4 additional positions were terminated.

According to a statement posted on their social media, which is affiliated with content creators from SAG-AFTRA, “KCRW management has come to the table to present voluntary buyout options to staff as a first step to address a budget shortfall.”

Per Jennifer Ferro, president of KCRW, via a staff-wide memo sent throughout the company, DJs Liza Richardson, Mario Cotto and Mathieu Schreyer are relieved of their duties, along with the producer of “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” Mary Chellamy.

One longtime veteran producer, Frances Anderton, is also being let go, as well as six members from the programming staff.

In the email, Ferro praised the departing employees, stating, in part, “Each one has made an indelible mark here. Some have been here for more than 20 years and I’m sure the decision to do this was as hard for them as it is for us to say goodbye.”