Talent for NPR might pull $300k (I have doubts) but if you're including everybody else when you say "employees" you're shooting astronomically high.

Radio pays notoriously bad. Local TV is just as bad, and they can't even afford photographers any more so reporters do their own shooting; I was laid off as a photographer when that change was made at a former haunt and newscast quality plummeted. (It's popular and spun positively now: Google "backpack journalism.")

Particularly local, you have to really love the craft to be in it. National/international is better, but to an extent. On-air talent soaks up the salary budget at pretty much every shop, universally, and to use a local example like KTVU or KRON I wouldn't be surprised if on-air talent was making $500k or less. You can do better at Google. The producer running the newscast is probably struggling to make rent. The camera operator certainly is, if they haven't yet been replaced with automatic, motorized cues driven by an overworked TD, who is just as worried about their own rent.

Ad-based business models suck, particularly when owners hate spending money. All media owners do. We got punished for the millions that had to be invested for the HDTV transition with 15% pay cuts at one station in the middle of nowhere.

NPR's last CEO, Gary Knell, made about $750K in his last year in the job.

They have a number of highly paid mid-level people, such a diversity officer (Keith Woods) who makes $220K.

More notable hosts make over the stated $300K, including Steve Inskeep ($400k) and Michele Norris ($350K –– wage gap!).

Highest honors, at least according to the 2013 990 linked here[1], go to Renée Montagne, who pulled in $412,581.)

These are not fully loaded costs. You probably want to add 10% for D.C.-based employees for employee overhead incl. labor lawyers, retirement contributions, payroll tax, &c.

Not bad to be a corporation that doesn't pay taxes, takes federal taxpayer money, takes state taxpayer money, takes corporate gifts, solicits foundation grants, and asks for individual donations.

[1] http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/520/5209076...

Their non-profit status doesn't have much to do with their staff compensation. Broadcasting at this level takes a lot of talent. I realize this every time someone sits in for a good broadcaster. Sometimes the substitutes are nearly unbearable. Good broadcasters don't work for cheap.

They wouldn't be successful at soliciting donations if they had bad broadcasters. Most podcasts have a tiny budget, which is part of the reason most podcasts are terrible.

I largely agree with your comment that talent doesn't come cheap. Software developers, venture investors, bank CEOs, &c.

In the case of NPR staff, I question whether anyone else is bidding on their services.

Michele Norris previously worked for ABC, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and the LA Times.

I worked in radio in a fairly large market. On-air talent made good (not great, compared to tech salaries) money. The best talent did lots of events & wrote books to push income, always moving to a bigger market if possible. Upper management (as in, national corporate management) made bank. Everyone else made garbage.

As someone upthread inferred, I was suggesting 300k or more for five people in total.

On a differen note, it is a dollar a day for 10 years; not so much, is it? For the added value it gives.

Am I misunderstanding, or do you seriously think NPR on-air talent is making in excess of $300,000/yr?

Employees cost a business much more than their salary. There are benefits, taxes, insurance, administrative overhead, etc. There's also the cost of replacing them.

Morning Edition and All Things Considered are hugely popular. Broadcast personalities on a national stage usefully get compensated pretty well.

According to NPR's IRS form 990 the hosts of Morning Edition and a couple other big shows do indeed make over $350k.

I think the GP intended this to be the figure for five employees combined, not per person.

Exactly.

The ones you can name offhand (Steve Inskeep etc.) generally are.

http://www.andymboyle.com/2013/07/21/an-updated-look-at-ira-...