Iowa Public Radio Trims Staff

Iowa Public Radio announced earlier this week it would cut nine positions in the final steps of a reorganization that began several years ago, and that combined three station groups into one statewide organization.

IPR CEO Mary Grace Herrington said staff resources will be moved "... into critical areas such as news reporting, talk show programming and marketing services." She said several employees will take early retirement, while others are being offered severance packages, and four vacant positions will not be filled.

The realignment was meant to reduce IPR's reliance on funding from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.

Herrington attributes much of IPR's increased donor support to changes in programming that began in 2007 when it adopted separate formats: news and information, classical music, and alternative music. Since the programming changes, IPR listenership has increased 22 percent.