Boston public radio station WBUR will need a new chief executive. Margaret Low, who has led the NPR member station since January 2020, told staff in an email on Tuesday that she will step down next summer and then join the station's board.
WBUR will search for her successor while she stays in the job. Low was the first person at WBUR to hold the CEO title. Before her, the station was run by general managers.
Her tenure covered the COVID years and the 2025 rescission of federal public media funding, which took roughly $1.6 million a year out of WBUR's budget. That loss of federal money, much of it passed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has forced public stations across the country to rework their budgets. Low also expanded programming at CitySpace, the station's events venue, and started the WBUR Festival in 2025.
Low's career began at NPR, where she started at 23 as an overnight production assistant. She rose to Senior Vice President for News, the network's top editorial post. She then ran The Atlantic's live events division for five years before taking over at WBUR.
In a social media post, Low wrote: "Leading this organization has been pure joy, thanks to my peerless colleagues and their daily quest for excellence. WBUR has served Boston and the region for 76 years. We have the wisdom of age and the zeal of a start-up. Together we've faced down a gauntlet of challenges, and we're soaring. While this is my last 'big job' — I'm not done with journalism or trying to make the world a better place."