Casualties of the Crisis

I listen to NPR regularly, and enjoy the excellent programs it airs. Unfortunately it is not immune to the current crisis.
In a new round of cost-cutting, National Public Radio said it would lay off 13 employees, eliminate contributions to employee retirement accounts for the rest of fiscal 2009 and impose five days of furloughs for all employees before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. The cuts, which were reported on Friday in The Washington Post, also include reductions in medical benefit contributions and the addition of unpaid holidays. They follow layoffs of 64 people, or 7 percent of the staff, in December because of a revenue shortfall. Employees at the vice presidential level and above will absorb additional cuts. Merit pay increases scheduled for January 2010 are being eliminated, and 18 unfilled positions are being either eliminated or temporarily frozen. The new cuts add up to savings of about $17 million over the two fiscal years, more than the $15 million deficit that NPR has forecast.