WBUR CEO Margaret Low to Step Down in June 2027

Margaret Low, who made history as the inaugural CEO of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station, announced via email on Tuesday that she will step down from her position at the end of June 2027. Following her departure, she will join the station's Board of Directors in the subsequent fall. A Belmont native, Low began her career at NPR at the age of 23 as an overnight production assistant and later served as senior vice president for news. She spent five years managing The Atlantic's live events before taking the helm at WBUR in January 2020. Board chair Paul Gannon highlighted her impressive achievements, including improved ratings and a financial rebound. Low's tenure saw Congress approve President Trump's request to retract $1.1 billion in federal public media funding in July 2025, impacting WBUR by approximately $1.6 million annually, or 3% of its budget, prompting a spike in new memberships and fundraising efforts. She also expanded programming at CitySpace and initiated the WBUR Festival in 2025. A firm has been chosen to find her successor. Tiziana Dearing, host of Morning Edition, and news executive editor Dan Mauzy commended her leadership, while former NPR host Robert Siegel reminisced about a series on Alabama's parole system and a 1998 interview with President Bill Clinton that Low produced. Her parting advice to her successor was, "WBUR is gold. Keep soaring."