NPR sees sharp downturn in advertising revenue, leading to talk of cuts

National Public Radio’s new chief executive is signaling that there may be some static ahead for the radio and digital news organization. Halfway through its fiscal year — and six months into Gary Knell’s tenure as chief executive — Washington-based NPR has seen a sharp downturn in corporate “underwriting,” or advertising revenue. The falloff has led to projections of an annual operating deficit and internal discussions about staff and program cuts. Another problem area: The strong audience growth that NPR’s news and entertainment programs experienced over the past decade appears to have flattened, a potentially worrisome development because more stations are carrying NPR’s programs. The increasingly bearish climate poses a challenge for Knell.