Is someone in an alternate universe? From Friday's NY Times: "In a new round of cost-cutting, National Public Radio said it would lay off 13 employees, elimin

Is someone in an alternate universe? From Friday's NY Times: "In a new round of cost-cutting, National Public Radio said it would lay off 13 employees, eliminate contributions to employee retirement accounts for the rest of fiscal 2009 and impose five days of furloughs for all employees before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30." No one--not even NPR can monetize their audience to pay for programming. Programs like "All Things Considered" and "Prairie Home Companion" are dependent on an expensive infrastructure and staff. I work in 'old media' and the problem for businesses and employees alike is an eyeball on the Internet is worth less money than an eyeball on TV or ears on radio. As we move people to our websites we do so at our own peril. We can afford to produce less for an Internet than TV viewer. I am no Rupert Murdoch fan, but he put it best when he pointed out ad space on the Internet is unlimited. Therefore there will always be downward pressure on advertising rates. In the short term this isn't a big deal for end users. In the long run people will realize much of the news and entertainment programming we all enjoy (not all and not necessarily the best) will no longer be produced.