KCRW Buys Out 24 Staffers
• Santa Monica Community College-owned NPR affiliate KCRW has extended buyout offers to members of its staff, and so far 24 have accepted. Like most media outlets nationwide, KCRW, which in 2018 moved into a beautiful new $38-million production facility on the campus of Santa Monica Community College, has been hit hard by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, a statement shared on social media Monday evening by “We Make KCRW,” which posts on behalf of the station’s SAG-AFTRA-affiliated content creators, “KCRW management has come to the table to present voluntary buyout options to staff as a first step to address a budget shortfall.”
Among those who have accepted buyouts, according to a staff-wide email that KCRW President Jennifer Ferro sent Monday, are on-air personalities Liza Richardson, Mario Cotto and Mathieu Schreyer, as well as Morning Becomes Eclectic producer Mary Chellamy. Six members of the programming staff, including longtime producer Frances Anderton, have also taken the buyout offer.
Speaking about the 24 departing staff members, Ferro wrote, “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.” She added that a few of those who have accepted buyouts will be leaving as soon as this week.
