RIP D2D

 

--Steve Proffitt

We got some bad news today.

NPR is canceling our program, along with another program produced here at NPR West, News and Notes.

Here's part of a statement from NPR's acting CEO, Dennis Haarsager:

In late spring, we began to see a decrease in NPR corporate sponsorship, which makes up nearly a third of our operating budget. While we made budget cuts at that time and continued to do so as the economy faltered, all our revenue sources are under pressure. Corporate sponsorship has decreased even more sharply since mid-September. All industries, including the financial, automotive, and media industries, historically our biggest underwriters, are cutting back significantly. Additionally, the philanthropic foundations and major donors who support NPR are cautiously watching the economy and their future giving is uncertain. The manageable $2 million budget deficit we projected in July for Fiscal Year 2009 has now risen to a projected $23 million deficit.

It is clear that this serious financial situation can't be responsibly resolved through short-term or temporary cuts. Rather, we must take measures that provide long-term savings, and that preserve our effectiveness and ability to generate vital income in the years ahead.

Today, we are announcing the cancellation of News & Notes and Day to Day, and significant budget reductions across the organization. These cuts include the elimination of 64 filled and 21 unfilled positions, many of which are associated with the two cancelled programs. Positions have also been eliminated across NPR, including reporting, editorial, and production staffs; station services; digital media; research; communications; and administrative support. Overall, this is a 7% reduction in NPR's current workforce.

It is important for you to understand why we chose to cancel News & Notes and Day to Day, and the implications for programming strategy and commitments. Neither program was attracting sufficient levels of audience or national underwriting necessary to sustain continued production under these tough financial circumstances.

Of course, every day we have been reporting on the downturn in the economy. Now, we can really share that pain.

Our demise will not be immediate. We'll continue producing and broadcasting the program until March 20th. We hope you'll continue to listen, and visit us at Daydreaming.

And a note to Facebook members: A fan has started a group, Save NPR's Day to Day. As of this writing it has more than five hundred members.

Tags: economy | financial crisis | media | this sucks

3:09 PM ET | 12-11-2008 | permalink

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Upgrading Our Comments Process

--Steve Proffitt

This week, NPR is instituting a new system that we hope will result in a greater level of dialogue with our listener/readers.

Now, you'll not only be able to comment on blog posts, you'll also be able to comment on stories at NPR.org. And your comments will be published instantly.

However, we'll now require that commentors register with NPR.org, and create a public profile.

There are a number of benefits to this, including:

--Instead of of having to wait for a moderator to approve them, your comments will be published instantly.
--You'll be able to comment on NPR stories you hear on the air or on NPR.org.
--Comments by users may be featured on the NPR home page and in the inset column of story pages
--All users will be able to "recommend" stories to others
--Registered users will be able to connect with NPR.org staff and other users through their public profiles and the community home page.
--Users will also be able to flag questionable or objectionable comments by using a "report abuse" feature.

We'll be implementing this new system this week. But you can already register, here.

And if you'd like more information about the registration process and reasoning behind it, take a look at our Community FAQ.

We think this new system will result in a much more vibrant and dynamic relationship with our listeners and readers, and we hope you'll agree.

Tags: community | posting | registration

9:08 AM ET | 09-29-2008 | permalink

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Welcome to Daydreaming

Awesome!

Welcome to Daydreaming, the companion blog to our radio series, "California Dreamin'." It's where you and I can talk about our California dreams, and how they're being affected by this crazy economy.

Why are we doing this radio series? Here's a little peek behind the NPR curtain. One day in an editorial meeting we were brainstorming about how to cover the economic trouble people are in, and someone wondered aloud, "How is this going to affect people in the long term; how will it mess with their American Dream?"

"What if we narrowed it to California?" I suggested. After all, this state more than any other is a repository for people's dreams, even if all they know about California is that Jeff Spicoli went to high school here.

And then we noted practically that a) it was summer and the news is usually sparse, so a series would be good to rely on and b) NPR has also been affected by the economy and has no money to send to us on fancy remotes like the ones I took last summer here and here.

So my first story is based in more humble environs. Riverside, California, home to one of the nation's highest foreclosure rates.

We hope you dig the series and weigh in here at the blog about the status of your California dream. Remember, your California Dream doesn't have to be based in California.

--Madeleine Brand

9:35 AM ET | 06-23-2008 | permalink

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Daydreaming FAQ

Everything you ever wanted to know about Daydreaming, but were afraid to ask.

Continue reading "Daydreaming FAQ" »

8:10 AM ET | 06-23-2008 | permalink

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Discussion Guidelines

Every website has its own rules, and these are ours. If you break these rules, please don't be surprised if we block your comments.

Continue reading "Discussion Guidelines" »

4:54 AM ET | 06-23-2008 | permalink

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