What do you even want me to say at this point, respectfully?
Boston, MA
WBUR is laying off 7 employees, 24 workers taking buyouts at Boston NPR station: ‘A significant loss’
Facing a financial crisis, WBUR has announced that Boston’s NPR station is laying off seven employees and 24 others are taking buyouts.
These job cuts come weeks after the station on Commonwealth Avenue warned of possible job cuts.
WBUR’s on-air sponsorship income plummeted by about $7 million in recent years, and the station is looking to begin the next fiscal year with a budget that’s at least $4 million lower than this year.
“I will begin with the hardest news,” CEO Margaret Low wrote to staff members on Wednesday. “We are laying off seven people, including three part-time colleagues. This means valued co-workers are losing their jobs and will leave WBUR before the end of June.”
“It’s painful to lose longtime colleagues and friends and we’ll make time in the weeks ahead to recognize those who will depart,” Low added.
The station has also been offering buyouts, and 24 employees are taking them.
“The number of people who raised their hand allowed us to limit the number of layoffs,” the CEO said.
Among those taking the package are four members of the senior leadership team: Pete Matthews, Del Reese, Mike Steffon and Karl Voelker.
“This is a significant loss of institutional history,” Low said. “It’s worth noting that three of the four have been at WBUR (or Boston University) for more than 25 years. They all saw the Voluntary Program as a rare opportunity to turn the page and do something new.”
The buyout total number won’t be firm until May 1 when employees must formally commit to the voluntary buyout program.
Beyond the layoffs and buyouts, WBUR plans to cut expenses across the board. WBUR is eliminating nine unfilled positions, cutting travel costs, spending less or negotiating lower rates on contracted services.
“A small but not insignificant item — we will no longer buy Peet’s Coffee,” the CEO said. “Thanks to our Business Partnerships team, we now have a trade deal with a local coffee roaster — Fazenda. This will save WBUR thousands of dollars a year. Finally, we will no longer cover cell phone costs for any non-represented colleagues.”
These cuts come as WBUR has the top share for a radio news station in the city.
“There is so much for all of us to be proud of, but I recognize that this has been a tough period for everyone at WBUR,” Low said. “Change of this magnitude is very hard.”
Before I get on my soap box and complain for however-many words, let me just quickly say that I appreciate the fact that you’re here. It’s a holiday Monday, you could’ve done anything else with your long weekend, and yet you decided to read the upset ramblings of a man who is really pissed off with his shitty baseball team. For that, I thank you. Isn’t that the American Dream, what I’m living out right now?
Tongue-in-cheek comments aside: I’m exhausted, folks. Not with the writing—I’ll be here on OTM until the bitter end—but with the watching. Forgive me for the stream of consciousness this week, but I don’t know what else to do.
The 2026 Boston Red Sox are a chore to watch. I don’t really remember the last time I’ve ever felt that way in my life. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt that way, actually, now that I think about it. I was in high school in 2012; I still had that youthful spunk where I wanted to watch my team. I was still probably riding enough of a high after 2013 to ensure that the following two season weren’t a monotonous watch. Even the non-‘21-and-‘25 teams in the 2020’s weren’t this miserable to sit through at this point in the season, at least for me (your mileage may vary).
After a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins, the Sox are dangerously close to being 10 games under .500, as if avoiding that label would be any fucking consolation prize for a team that was getting AL pennant shouts two months ago (and I’m guilty of that too! I had Seattle winning the pennant over us! Not that the Seattle prediction is going well, but my goodness!). This team is a joke. They are, simply put, pathetic. I’m not sure how in depth I can go with that as my basis right now.
Perhaps this is just my own personal reckoning with the situation, but doesn’t this feel like the right time for it? The unofficial date to begin worrying about your team has always been Memorial Day. We’re there now, and I think the season’s just about over already. There’s no generational prospect coming up through the minors to help us. The coaching staff has already been cleaned out. The money is being allocated by FSG in some capacity, for all the ownership group’s faults, yet here we are. The roster construction is still a mess and it will continue to be a mess for the immediate future.
To quote a wise sheriff…
If there’s a way out of this mess, I can’t personally see it. I try to be as optimistic as possible, but I do not see a path to 270 electoral votes this year. I’d love to eat these words in a few months, but I don’t believe in this group. I’ve seen enough. I’ll keep watching because I’m a sicko. I’ll keep writing about this team because I love writing and I love the Red Sox and I love this lil’ gig I’ve been blessed with getting. But I sure as hell do not love this iteration of the team, man. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about what needs to happen to right the ship (I don’t want to be rash, but I’m becoming more and more of a #BreslowOut guy as the days go on, slowly but surely), but as for right now: I think the prospects we had in late March about this team contending in October are just about done and dusted.
If you’re a consistent reader, you know that I like to dive into the developments that have happened over the course of the week in the MMBB, whether they’re good or bad. That practice will continue for the rest of the season. I’ll try to be as optimistic as possible moving forward in 2026, but just know that I’m probably harboring a sense of dread alongside any positive words I have until I’m given a reason by the team to feel otherwise. Why waste my time by thinking things could be getting better this season when I’m talking about any consistent trends that Jarren Duran might’ve had at the plate this week? The last time I did that, he sucked for another week-and-change. I did the same with Marcelo Mayer before then, and it’s been even worse for him. I could talk until I’m blue in the face about the positive trends being made by a Payton Tolle or a Sonny Gray or a, dare I say, Brayan Bello when he’s being preceded by an opener.
Doesn’t matter, dude. We suck shit.
All of those positive trends could be true in a vacuum, but I don’t think they’re gonna ultimately matter this year—short of something extraordinary happening. The pitching’s been pretty solid overall, the defense has been stellar, and I’ve tried finding the positives in an underwhelming lineup. All of that together has gotten us eight games below an even .500. We’re a laughing stock in the league; a banter club, if you follow the Premier League. We’ve got Buster Olney saying we’ve got to abort the Caleb Durbin experiment. The question of “What the fuck are we doing in the front office” is a legitimate one at this stage. To get even more existential, another great question is “What is the plan moving forward?”
We’ve got nothing going for us on a consistent basis. Even after a sweep in Kansas City, the team goes and shits their pants yet again at home. The only time I’ve ever given true credence to the idea of momentum not being a thing has been with watching this collection of guys representing the Red Sox, because I haven’t seen an ounce of it this year. What is there to look forward to for the last four months of the year?
I guess I’ve gotta answer that question for myself. Maybe you do as well.
Again: I’ll be here for y’all. I’ll talk about positive and negative trends as I see ‘em, because I like talking ball. I love this team, I love this sport, and I love talking about both the team as well as the sport.
But I suppose this is my official declaration that I’m not gonna be fooled by this specific group going forward. I’ve been patient enough thus far; the patience is gone. I’m not holding any reservations for them for the rest of the year, because they don’t deserve those reservations. We’ve crossed the Rubicon, if the Rubicon was filled with poo. Maybe we’re drowning in that Rubicon instead, come to think of it. Either way: I don’t see a way where we could be going back.
I’ll still watch, I’ll still write, I’ll still support, but I don’t believe in this group as things currently stand. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment. What have they done to prove otherwise? I’ve tried putting a spotlight on positive things (and I’m not trying to sound like the end-all-be-all of Sox analysis here, folks; this is just my personal ramblings) and they haven’t amounted to much of anything. I don’t care how bad the American League is. We’re a prime example of that suckiness. How many times can the boy cry wolf? How many times can the Sox blogger cry positive regression?
I dunno, folks. I’m just exhausted with this team already. I think it’ll be a………………………………………..
Song of the Week: “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift
I swear I didn’t go into this aiming for it to be a 1,200+ word set-up to a stupid joke, but if the shoe fits….
Same time and same place next week, folks. Go Sox, I guess. Who gives a fuck anymore?
Fellow firefighters paid somber tribute at the fire house where Robert “Bobby” Kilduff, who many referred to as “BK,” served for decades with the Boston Fire Department. On Sunday, black bunting was hung in honor of Kilduff, who died Saturday night after falling from the third floor while battling a Dorchester fire.
“He was the heart of this fire house, he is going to be missed sorely. He is irreplaceable,” Lt. Greg Kelly said.
Kilduff’s fellow firefighters were brought to tears as they remembered their friend and brother. They placed his boots on the floor and traced an outline onto the cement following his death.
“Bobby Kilduff is exactly the definition of what you would imagine a true firefighter should be,” Boston firefighter Lector Tavares said.
All of the residents of the Dorchester home where the fire broke out Saturday night made it out safely. A mayday call was issued when Kilduff fell. He was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
“BK was the quintessential rescue man. Just in the last 48 hours prior to this fire, he was involved in rescuing a girl who was trying to jump off a building,” Lt. Kelly said. “When the mayday came in, I couldn’t imagine it could be BK. He’s usually the one saving people.”
Not only did Kilduff spend decades in the fire service, but he also spent years serving his country in the U.S. Marines.
Kilduff was also part of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, hosting training scenarios for elected officials about the dangers firefighters face.
Kilduff leaves behind two adult children. His girlfriend and her two children. The fire remains under investigation at this time.
“He prioritized so much the importance of being a dad. He loved his kids so much,” Capt. Kevin Preston said.
Funeral arrangments have not yet been announced.
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