NPR is cutting 10% of its staff in “a major loss” for the public radio network, CEO says

(CNN) National Public Radio will lay off 10% of its staff after forecasting a $30 million budget shortfall, NPR chief executive John Lansing wrote in a memo to staff on Wednesday. It just becomes the latest media outlet to make painful cutbacks as a dramatic slowdown in the advertising market continues to send shockwaves through the industry.

“When we say we are cutting positions we are talking about our colleagues — people whose skills, minds and talents help make NPR what it is today,” Lansing wrote in the memo obtained by CNN. “This will be a great loss.”

The layoffs at the public broadcaster, home of the hit news programs “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” will result in at least 100 positions being cut, an NPR spokesperson told CNN.

In his memo, Lansing said the network was struggling with a “sharp drop” in revenue from its corporate sponsors due to the uncertain economy. The organization, he said, had already cut $14 million in spending, including freezing a majority of job openings, suspending paid internships and limiting non-essential travel.

“With about 65% of our budget supporting staff costs, we will have to cut many of the vacant positions that have been frozen. We will also have to reduce the filled positions by about 10%,” he said.

Lansing said he hoped to have final decisions on which features would be eliminated around March 20.

In recent months, the media and technology sectors have taken a beating as advertisers tightened spending amid economic uncertainty.

There are mass layoffs in the news industry. CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, Vox Media, Gannett and other news organizations have cut their workforces in recent months. And companies that have not laid off staff have taken strong measures to reduce spending.

Layoffs have also spread across Silicon Valley, and technology companies have made significant budget cuts. Earlier this month, Yahoo announced it would cut 20% of its total workforce. Spotify, Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have also announced layoffs affecting thousands of employees.

Entertainment giants such as Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN’s parent company), Disney and Paramount Global have also cut their workforce.

— CNN’s Oliver Darcy contributed to this report.