Margaret Low, chief executive of the Boston NPR news station WBUR, announced Tuesday that she will step down in June.
Low, 67, told employees Tuesday morning that this is her last “big job,” but she will join WBUR’s board of directors next fall and continue to serve on numerous journalism-related boards. WBUR has tapped a search firm to hire her successor, Low said.
In nearly seven years at WBUR, Low has steered the station through layoffs, financial cuts, and the federal defunding of public media, while building up fund-raising and growing the organization’s events business — most notably with the annual WBUR Festival that began last year. WBUR is ranked the top radio station in Boston, according to Nielsen ratings.
“We have faced down so many gigantic challenges. WBUR is soaring,” Low said in an interview. “I would not walk out the door unless I felt the confidence that I do in this place and the people that work here, the purpose in what we do, and my belief that Boston is an extraordinary town, and that they value what we do and what we make.”
Low joined WBUR in January 2020, after running the events business at The Atlantic and having previously helmed NPR’s news operations in Washington, D.C.
Soon after arriving at WBUR, the pandemic hit, exacerbating long-term shifts in media habits. Radio stations across the country were affected, as fewer people had commutes where they tuned into radio. Many that still did increasingly turned away from terrestrial radio to podcasts and music on their devices.
Other changes put a dent in WBUR’s ad revenue, known as underwriting in public media; Google and other large tech players have pulled millions of dollars away from traditional media. The station let go 14 percent of its staff in 2024 through a mix of layoffs and buyouts and cut travel expenses and some job positions. GBH, Boston’s other public media giant, laid off 4 percent of its workforce that year and suspended production of three television programs.
But since 2024, WBUR’s finances have improved, even after President Trump signed a law that rescinded federal funding for public media, which hit WBUR and stations across the country. While WBUR received only a small percent of its income from federal funds — 3 percent — Low had warned the cuts could hurt stations across the system.
Since the cuts, however, the worst fears that many smaller stations would shut down have been avoided, thanks in large part to “rage giving” from donors who did not want to see stations shutter. That’s been a boon to WBUR, which gets revenue from smaller stations airing its two national shows, “On Point” and “Here & Now.”
“WBUR is really in both a good financial position, and where it is in the market with national productions,” said Marc Hand, founder and chief executive of the consortium Public Media Venture Group, which works with public media organizations as they navigate the current environment.
Many leaders in the industry still fear the recent surge in donations won’t be enough in the long run, and have called for new business models to help sustain public media. That includes Susan Goldberg, the chief executive of GBH, who earlier this year floated the idea of a merger between the organization and WBUR.
Like WBUR, GBH has stabilized in the short term, bringing in new donors and revenue. But the idea of a merger was a nonstarter with Low, who said the stations had “no plans to merge. Full stop.”
Paul Gannon, the chair of WBUR’s board, said in an interview the organization did explore a merger at one point, but said it soon realized there were too many obstacles and that it wouldn’t work.
“I don’t see us rekindling that anytime soon,” he said.
Just last month, WBUR unveiled its largest fund-raising campaign ever, a $125 million effort to help support the station’s annual fund, local journalism, and innovation. Donors had already committed $100 million as of last month.
Under Low’s tenure, WBUR also has shifted its editorial schedule. It ended the local program Radio Boston in December 2024 to move resources “beyond the confines of an hour-long daily radio show,” WBUR executive editor for news Dan Mauzy said at the time. It has also launched new podcasts, improved the weekend radio lineup, and expanded live events at its CitySpace venue.
“It’s no small thing to have a journalist as a CEO. Margaret listens to everything. She reads everything that we do,” Mauzy said in an interview. “She has been a champion for the work.”
Low said she will stay on as chief executive until the end of June, or until her successor is in place. Then, after taking a few months off, she will join WBUR’s board of directors. She plans to remain on the other boards she serves on, including the NPR board of directors, the Wallace House executive advisory board at the University of Michigan, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press steering committee, where she serves as vice chair.
Gannon praised Low’s tenure as chief executive and said fund-raising has been historic on her watch. He added that she made difficult decisions “with a grace that is uncommon,” and will leave big shoes to fill.
“The organization is in a uniquely good position, and she’s navigated a challenging media environment,” Gannon said. To succeed her, he said, the board will likely look for someone who is in between “a caretaker or disruptor.”
Aidan Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@globe.com. Follow him @aidanfitzryan.