editor

producer

senior editor

associate producer

audio engineer

The people here are so cool.  The guy next to my cube is lead guitar in a hot DC band.  The guy on the other side manages a professional ultimate frisbee team.  Sounds pretty laid back, right?  Wrong.  It's an intense, numbers-driven place where everyone is looking for the next opportunity to disrupt radio...before someone else does.  As such, it feels a lot like startups where I have worked in the past -- entrepreneurial, playful, iconoclastic -- but with much more job security and work-life balance.  My boss has never cared if I come in at 10 (I have morning routine with the kids), so long as I get my work done, keep coming up with new ideas and support the great ideas of people around me.  I make my own schedule and set my own path.

The only major challenge here is that budget is very tight right now.  As a non-profit, we are expected to constantly do more with less and "punch above our weight".  In most cases, this is a good thing: part of the engine of creativity.  But at times it makes for some tough decisions that have forced me to shut down non-performing business units and paths of innovation that I was really excited about to free up resources for new ideas.  We get to try anything (fail fast is the mantra here), but that also means that there are no sacred cows.

NPR has good brand recongnition, and treats its on-air and production talent well.  However, mid-level and lower staff who work in non-production are in general not as well compensated, and many were part of a layoff and voluntary buyout that began in 2013.  There is no bonus structure for non-executives, salary increases cap at 2.5% except in unusual circumstances, no programs are in place for motivating employees, and the employee portion of medical insurance premiums is high.  When I was hired in late 2011 I was brought in at a substantial cut in pay because I had been unemployed during the recession for 11 months and frankly, they could get away with it - no salary negotiation was considered.

My NPR experience was amazing. I interned in the winter of 2019. I worked on the midday show  aired out of Boston. Even though it was a lot of remote communication I still had a manager and a producer to work with. They were great. I felt like people around me really wanted me to succeed. One manager reached out to me for a job opportunity. Another one talked to me about extending my time there as a temp. And another gave me a great recommendation. I also felt included and visible as a young minority woman which was truly incredible. (I recognize the subject is an uphill battle and I am only sharing my experience) So thankful for my experience. I decided to go on to another job and not temp because I just wanted to build my experience outside and hopefully one day return. But I got such a great amount of experience from it. 

Overall, my respect for the product is high.  More often than not, many of us were working 70 + hours weekly and many days in a row with no COMP time.  What' s worse is there was infrequent to NO recognition and I see this as a weak link in the Executive Leadership to set the standard, or set goals for how employees are recognized.  The pay for the work accomplished was abysmal.  Benefits were ok, but some departments had better perks than others.

My duties include forming, cutting and grinding on expanders. This job is the single most difficult job in the plant and I enjoy the challenge. It's a very tedious and meticulous job takes a great deal of patience. I also must inspect each ring one by one to ensure the quality is up to par. I set up the machines which can take several hours. I handle hardware, tools and I have to input several settings according to the manufacturer I'm running at that particular time. I take pride in my work and I don't mind taking my time to be sure my work is exceptional

People love NPR, right?
Right.
And that's why the management can abuse people once they get here.  There is literally nowhere else for anyone in radio to work.  So once you get here, you're stuck. 

Loving NPR is an excuse for some horrifyingly bad HR practices. From riffing people to reorganizing people to breaking the union with extra work, not recognizing the work of some very dedicated and talented employees.

Do
Not
Even think for a moment that this is a good place.

My colleagues are incredibly smart and the work is interesting. The culture is fun and bit quirky. My experience depends heavily on my (ever-changing) supervisor -- at times it has not been as fun to work there as other times. The organization is also stretched very thin, so morale suffers. Sometimes you will do the work of two people, but they will help you all they can to alleviate your situation. They do strive for work-life balance, but it can be hard because of the workload. Overall, though, the people and the work make it worth it.

Amazing company and mission that has been eroded by the relentless news cycle. NPR books predictable "big name" guests, in order to be a player. The work has become rote, and staff talent is no longer valued. Everyone is replaceable with temps. The product we make is sometimes unlistenable. They are hemorrhaging staff. There are bright spots! It still is NPR. The people are fantastic! So you work for the occasional creative radio moments.

Booking lodging for the National Parks is great because you learn about the parks and the main attractions, you talk to different people everyday and help them plan their vacations. The hardest part of the job is talking to foreigners, some of which are not familiar with the National Parks at all, in that case you try your best to answer their questions.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The only good part of working here is the pay was decent 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Everything was stressful. Way to many people telling you to do stuff one way then another telling you to do it another way. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Hot and extremely dirty. Full of empty promises.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Editor 8 salaries reported	$117,726 per year
Producer 7 salaries reported	$54.60 per hour
Senior editor 5 salaries reported	$139,100 per year
Associate producer 2 salaries reported	$43.27 per hour
Audio engineer 7 salaries reported	$39.02 per hour

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