New York Public Radio fired several members of its news staff Monday citing difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, which operates WNYC-AM/FM (820/93.9), classical WQXR (105.9) and The Gothamist announced 14 lay-offs between the entities that it manages.
“These decisions were not made lightly or with haste,” the Skeikholeslami memo continued. “We have done everything we can to avoid taking these steps. But we need to reverse the deficit, return the organization to health and sustainability, and position ourselves for future growth.”
Among the people fired Monday include WNYC Supervising Senior Producer Richard Yeh, Gothamist Editor-in-Chief John Del Signore, Greene Space Assistant Production Manager Allie Pinel and Gothamist City Editor Christopher Robbins.
CEO Goli Skeikholeslami said in a memo that the organization is “entering the next fiscal year with a sizable deficit and we cannot achieve our goals and meet our commitments while shouldering a fourth year of losses.
“In aggregate, the actions we are announcing today reduce our deficit by $3 million for FY22, enabling us to get on a path to financial sustainability,” Skeikholeslami wrote. “Without taking the additional cost-saving measures, the number of staff cuts would have been far greater.
Other cost-saving measures include: the suspension of merit increases for the Senior Leadership Team for the second straight year.
