Or persons of color who are in our organization that are hearing [about] a lot of activity but arent experiencing what they believe they should be experiencing in terms of a workplace where they feel like they can grow and improve their work and improve their careers. It really stretched me to understand that flexibility is a good thing. Applicants to this years fellowship see its cancellation as a setback for journalists of color who want to work in public radio. "The result, I believe, is a war on truth. Our third pillar is to optimize content and meet audiences where they are. 5 takeaways from the massive layoffs hitting Big Tech right now, the network announced $20 million in cuts, NPR to impose near-freeze on hiring but avoids layoffs as budget cuts loom, NPR chief news executive Nancy Barnes to depart as network reshapes top ranks, January is often a big month for layoffs. It all goes back to our mission: serving the American public, recognizing the American public is a diverse mosaic that makes America great and strong, and making sure that we're building systems and content that resonates with all Americans. The last time NPR faced such stark choices, it was 2008. It was hard for everyone. And so that was the way I looked at the future for me. John Lansing , CEO of NPR NPR President John Lansing '09 is Bellarmine's 2021 commencement speaker, Honorary Degree recipient April 22, 2021 NPR P. Were certainly not over, were not at a finish line. Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging. In what ways do you think NPR has forced you to grow, and in what areas are you growing that you weren't before NPR? Within a few weeks, Lansing became convinced that projection would be unreachable. And our work began then. Prior to that, Lansing was VP and GM of Scripps ABC affiliates. Or 'How are we doing on the North Star?' Current: Why are NPR and its partners looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app? In 2017, Michael Oreskes, NPRs senior vice president for news, left after two women accused him of unwanted physical advances in the 1990s, when he was the Washington bureau chief of The New York Times. Anyone can read what you share. Weve had a couple of significant anonymous gifts that have helped shore up our forecast for the coming fiscal year. So it's kind of inseparable, that coming in as CEO of NPR, and then six months in having the coronavirus, followed by a major economic downturn in the country and for NPR, and then the reckoning that summer. She really has helped us, and she's brought discipline to a process that in the past might have been people talking past each other a little bit and waiting for things to blow over. This time, Lansing says he is not confident the money will return anytime soon, so the network and its board have to plan more strategically. He took over a troubled organization beset by infighting and bureaucratic inefficiency. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. He soon made DEI the top priority at NPR. Lansing clearly had an ongoing interest in the USAGM story and the notion that that at some point along the line he did not provide his take, at minimum, to NPR reporting staff, on the story beggars belief. August 20, 2022 August 20th is National Radio Day. advanced degree - political agility. Weve seen a gradual comeback. And as the year unfolded, we began to develop our three-year strategic plan. The agency has an annual budget of $808 million. "A really important strategic vector that we'll be talking about more within the company going forward is maximizing the value of the content wherever it can live and wherever the audience demands it," NPR Chief Operating Officer Will Lee says in an interview. Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan When you first got to NPR, what did you think? Lansing said in an interview with Current Thursday that one of his first observations upon joining NPR was that we needed to double down our efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion. I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. Weve also seen very positive upticks in development. We can share resources and story ideas, and we can help organize and support those efforts. All of those underlying effects generally lead to whatever effects were going to have in corporate sponsorship. Such distinctions between news and programming are tricky, however, as programming oversees podcasts, including those that perform journalistic functions, such as Code Switch, It's Been A Minute, Planet Money, and Throughline. In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. While serving as chief operating officer, she took on a greater role during two of Mohn's medical leaves and in the aftermath of the sexual harassment scandal. NPR has a new CEO. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . So its a constant commitment to communication, to training, to accountability. But thats our commitment. John Lansing is taking over for outgoing CEO Jarl Mohn, who has led the organization for . hide caption. And were pleased to work with them. The title of your piece, "Now Is A Time For Truth Telling, For Listening, And For Action," takes a bold stand in defending the urgent work of journalists during this . Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Acting Chief Business Editor Emily Kopp. They lost their objectivity and are now just pushing leftist ideology. Your email address will not be published. Current: You came to NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. NPR takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. Were still looking at a deficit, but were hopeful that by the time we get into March, well have a pretty clear-eyed view of how the year is going to end up. All of that is to say that coming out of the reckoning of Memorial Day 2020 was for us and for me, in particular, a call to action internally at NPR to hear and reckon with our own issues internally. Faces Of NPR showcases the people behind NPR--from the voices you hear every day on the radio to the ones who work outside of the recording studio. Lansing has won plaudits from journalists for his rousing defense of a free press even while serving in the Trump administration, which has been notably hostile to traditional notions of the role of journalism in civic life. For July, NPRs 60 active shows among them Planet Money, Fresh Air and Wait Wait Dont Tell Me! were downloaded 141 million times and had nearly 21 million listeners in the United States, according to Podtrac. I'm kind of a politics junkie. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot.. Current: NPR and a group of stations started a pilot project around collaborative fundraising in 2019. We did a climate survey of our employees, and we learned about a particular weak spot for us with women of color at NPR who didn't feel it was a place to grow their career, a place to be their whole selves, a place where they are seen and respected. "He is a listener and a collaborative leader with a passion for our public service journalistic mission who will help us continue to expand the audience for our storytelling. How does the economy react to all of that? Were working with them to do joint investigative reporting. The network had run deficits in six of the seven previous years; under Mohn, it has achieved a slight surplus for each year during his tenure, even as the annual budget grew by more than 40%. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. We'd like to revisit a story that first broke yesterday and . The work theyve done during the pandemic has been nothing short of miraculous in many cases, particularly given the summer of racial reckoning, the most unusual presidential election in memory and everything thats gone on since. While they do not broadcast within the U.S., the Voice of America and the other media outfits Lansing has overseen typically adhere to traditional concepts of factual, nonideological journalism, with the frequent exception of Radio Mart historically an anti-Castro and anti-Cuban communist outlet. Now Lansing says he wants to draw on the intellectual and creative impulses of his new staffers as he leads a domestic journalistic powerhouse with an international reputation and reach. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? Mayor is said to be staying on at the network as a top executive and deputy to Lansing, retaining the enhanced portfolio she took on after Mohn's health crises. "And we finally got to the point where there was nothing really that we could cut big enough to fill a hole like that.". He spent two decades at Scripps Networks, starting as a station manager in the Detroit, MI affiliate; eventually becoming President of Scripps cable networks company from 2005 to 2013. Lansing also spoke to Current about the challenges of implementing his DEI plans, the organizations financial outlook and his thoughts about the recent controversies at USAGM. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. And be a good listener. That said, Mohn set higher annual expectations for the network in fundraising and agreed to be co-chairman of its 50th-anniversary capital campaign. Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. hide caption. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot. We have many miles to go. An NPR spokeswoman said final decisions on which jobs will be eliminated should occur by the week of March 20. So hes doubling down on lack of diversity, does that mean he wants his audience to reflect the other half of the country, the conservatives in flyover country? The union represents 570 people at NPR. Not exactly. At the U.S. Agency for Global Media known until last year as the Broadcasting Board of Governors he presided over 53 percent growth in the weekly audience for the agencys networks over the last three years, to 345 million. I just think that somebody's truth is the truth. And now in our budgeting were shifting some revenue for Michael to use that to promote and support our podcasts as they compete, as you note, with other large commercial businesses. "What you really want to do is be connected to people that are consuming content on something they're holding in their hand, and aren't necessarily tied to a TV set on a wall or a radio in a living room," Lansing said. The other is the fight for donors. NPR's chief executive announced the network would lay off roughly 10% of its current workforce at least 100 people and eliminate most vacant positions. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. "Jarl would be the first to say that it is the area where he feels that his work was not complete," Sheikholeslami said. So sad to me. Its new president and chief executive is John Lansing, a former cable executive who for the last five years has run the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federally funded organization behind. NPR undertook a strategic reorganization last fall, reinstating the position of a chief content officer overseeing both the newsroom and the programming division. How cool is it to be at. He is passionate about NPR's public service mission and the role of a free and independent media in a strong democracy. hide caption. Theres no question about it. Current: Can you be more specific about what that looks like in terms of how you reach people who may not already know about NPRs podcasts? What do you think are some characteristics of good leadership? As we got to April of last spring, we saw a massive deficit develop for NPR on the order of about $25 million. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. Its pretty clear to me that the ratings decline in radio is driven by commuting patterns. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Its something that we certainly support. But also, what are the larger things that are happening? At the same time, we have to think creatively. But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? The ratings have tanked because all they talk about is race. "Nothing is nailed down yet except the principles and what we know we have to reach.". What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? NPR CEO Jarl Mohn To Step Down After 5-Year Term Ends In June, Tensions Build In NPR Newsroom Over Handling Of Sexual Harassment Allegations, NPR Announces Newsroom Job Cuts Amid Restructuring. He will be the 11th permanent president or chief executive in the radio network's nearly 50-year history. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? Lansing says even that proved overly optimistic. NPR is funded by the CPB/PBS which are funded in part by the U.S. government. And I would do a board-level review for the donor or donors as to where the business was, the value of the work we were doing, the things we were adding in terms of covering the pandemic. I had been gone for the better part of a year or so. Prior to joining USAGM, he served for two years as the President and CEO of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), an organization that facilitates collaborative marketing initiatives for its members. He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a nongovernmental broadcaster. I think you have to be transparent and be able to explain what you're doing, even if it's unpopular. John Ten Eyck Lansing Jr. (January 30, 1754 - vanished December 12, 1829), a Founding Father of the United States, was an attorney, jurist, and politician. CEO John Lansing discusses NPRs diversity efforts, budget deficit and growing podcast competition. That with a combination of expense cuts, including our employees and our management all taking voluntary pay cuts and benefit cuts, helped close that deficit gap. "Governments around the world are increasingly cracking down on the free flow of information; silencing dialogue and dissent; and distorting reality," Lansing said in a speech he delivered in May to the Media for Democracy Forum. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, Considering the demise of local newspapers around the country and the growth of our member stations newsrooms around the country, were really working hard to support their local journalism, because its so important to us.