Current: NPR and a group of stations started a pilot project around collaborative fundraising in 2019. First, we're a nonprofit. Scripps Company, Held senior management positions at Scripps-owned affiliates, including WEWS TV in Cleveland, Ohio and WXYZ TV in Detroit, Michigan, Early in his career Award-winning Photojournalist and Field Producer, Assignment Manager, Managing Editor, and News Director at several television stations. hide caption. But we felt like it was an important investment to make in our member stations to support them during the pandemic. NPR hosts' departures fuel questions over race. The full story is He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. And as the year unfolded, we began to develop our three-year strategic plan. There's always going to be things here and there that have to be worked out, because that's just the way a company is, but I've never been in a company before where it was so understood that we're here to serve the American people. What would you go back and tell your younger self? Required fields are marked *. But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? John F Lansing, National Public Radio Inc: Profile and Biography Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan When you first got to NPR, what did you think? Family Status: Married with 4 Children (Jean Rausch Lansing) We are not just putting out regulations or policies and paperwork. How are you working to shore up NPRs place in the podcasting landscape and compete with deep-pocketed tech companies? President Biden will allow Congress to overturn new D.C. crime law We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. CEO John Lansing discusses NPR's diversity efforts, budget - Current "We are delighted to welcome John, whose deep experience as a media industry executive and practicing journalist make him ideally suited to lead NPR into its next chapter," said Paul Haaga, Chair of the NPR board. That was due largely to reductions in corporate sponsorship and also additional expenses we were incurring in supporting our employees with paid time off, as we adjusted to the new working arrangements and the stresses that we were all under and also the additional expense of cleaning the headquarters multiple times a day on certain occasions. Certainly in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder on Memorial Day weekend, our efforts accelerated and we doubled down on communication, training and listening. Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. 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. Experts say the behavior could have constituted insider trading. So its an ongoing effort. Today is a good day to remember the vital role public radio plays in providing the information we all need to fully exercise our rights in our democracy. Chief Executive Officer and Director of the, Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, Florangela Davila to Become KNKX News Director, NPR Hires Noelle LaCharite As VP Digital Technology. So mentally, how do you manage that? Now with the magazine shows on weekdays were about 20% behind last year, which is a significant improvement over where we were about eight months ago. 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. Diversity is the North Star of a newly implemented strategic plan, Lansing said, because it filters through everything that we do with all of our work.. Lansing, who is 62, is. During the pandemic, NPR sidestepped layoffs through temporary cuts to pay and retirement contributions, distributed with an eye to shielding less well-paid employees, so they were most sharply felt by the most highly compensated staffers and executives. September 6, 2019. Were certainly not over, were not at a finish line. Scripps Co., says whenever an economic slowdown appears imminent, marketing budgets get slashed. Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. But mostly its targeted at marketing investments on social media platforms that are specifically reaching out to younger and more diverse audiences to see if we can drive sampling. Were finishing up in the next two to three weeks the specific lists of actions and activities under these pillars. "In terms of mission, understanding of media, the depth of experience, his strategic leadership, his commitment to people and culture, I would say those were really the key things that we were looking for," said Goli Sheikholeslami, vice chairwoman of the NPR board of directors and CEO of Chicago Public Media. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. Podcasting in particular allows NPR to reach audiences that are not necessarily tied to a radio., Paul Haaga, the chairman of NPRs board, said in a statement that Mr. Lansing was 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.. National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . We need help now. So we began an intensive set of Zoom meetings that I attended, each one with a member station and a qualified potential donor. Last year, the network booked $134 million in such corporate underwriting, a record built on strong growth in podcasting revenue in recent years. It's not an extracurricular activity; it's fundamental to our business. John F. Lansing (he/him) oversees one of the country's most iconic news organizations, whose rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connects with millions of Americans every day on the air, online, and in person. The staffing cut, which will cost at least 100 people their jobs, comes in response to the "erosion" of advertising revenue, particularly for the network's podcasts, NPR reported. I was very pleased to see Code Switch named as Apples top podcast of the year. Lansing: I guess I would comment just as a citizen watching from outside. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. Current: What are some of the highlights of that strategic plan? Sometimes you have to hear other people's truth and accept it for what it is, not translate it into your truth, therefore it's no longer what it is. An NPR spokeswoman said final decisions on which jobs will be eliminated should occur by the week of March 20. And what a breath of fresh air Whitney brings into the organization. For several years, it eliminated salary increases and suspended retirement contributions. NPR's Incoming Chief Dumped $10M In Stock Amid SEC Probe While At Prior In May 2020, four NPR female hosts of color Garcia-Navarro, King, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang and Weekend All Things Considered host Michel Martin sent a letter to Lansing . John F. Lansing : NPR "And we finally got to the point where there was nothing really that we could cut big enough to fill a hole like that.". And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. U.S. Agency for Global Media After Lansing hopped over to NPR from USAGM in 2019, NPR had to be prompted by outside critics to include disclaimers on its USAGM/VOA stories to note Lansings past USAGM role. 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. 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. I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. Mr. Lansings colleagues attribute the growth to his embrace of digital formats and the understanding of audiences that he gleaned from the private sector. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? Were working with them to create regional newsrooms in Texas and California and the Midwest and in the Gulf. Copyright 2023. And its tied to the same variables you would know yourselves, which is, how fast can the vaccines be deployed? "We were doing everything we could against the tide and couldn't keep clipping our costs as the revenue kept slipping," Lansing says. A number of executives will report directly to Lansing, including Nancy Barnes, senior vice president for news and editorial director, who joined NPR last November and oversees the network's newsroom. Let's say, I was walking out of high school into college, I had no idea what I was going to do. Lansing says even that proved overly optimistic. Michael A. McCoy for NPR A federal inspector general's investigation has exonerated six government executives who were suspended last year after raising red flags about actions taken by. And my top goal is to support, in particular, the women of color at NPR so that they feel like they have more upward mobility. Lansing said he took pride in maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences, reaching about 25% more people each week. I just started in May. It began to improve a little bit as we moved into August and September, as corporate sponsorships began to recover a little bit. Arcbazar.com. 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. NPR's John Lansing Discusses the Importance of Integrity in Journalism We've made some good forward progress around hiring, with requiring that our hiring panels be diverse, requiring that our finalists have diverse representation at a minimum, but of course there's no maximum, in terms of a list of finalists. Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Acting Chief Business Editor Emily Kopp. ", He continued: "Citizens in countries from Russia to China, from Iran to North Korea, have been victimized for decades. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. But my goals also go to all of my direct reports. NPR, the public radio and podcasting giant, has a new leader after years of growth and internal turmoil. All rights reserved. Live from. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have announced more than 50,000 job cuts combined in just the past few months. 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. Listeners consider public radio an enriching and enlightening companion; they trust NPR as a daily source of unbiased independent news, and inspiring insights on life and the arts. John Lansing, NPR's President and CEO, defended Kelly last weekend during an interview on NPR's All Things Considered program, saying that Kelley "is one of the most respected, truthful . NPR Names Juana Summers as Co-Host of 'All Things Considered' "The combination of his health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans.". Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.". He will be the 11th permanent president or chief executive in the radio network's nearly 50-year history. The various challenges everybody's having from working at home, for example, you realize that everybody's situation is different when you're working. 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. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. Lansing: When we look at our strategic plan and our commitment to growing our audience of the future, its clear to us that every corner of NPR has a digital on-demand initiative thats critical to our success and that it makes more sense to have the digital assets closer to the work thats influencing our audiences and growing our audiences. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' "When I think of NPR and I think of the member stations collectively, I think really of journalism as a public service, not tied to a profit motive," Lansing told NPR News. hide caption. Yet Mr. Mohns tenure was also marked by a sexual harassment scandal involving a senior news executive whom he had hired and a labor clash with hundreds of union workers. CEO John Lansing discusses NPRs diversity efforts, budget deficit and growing podcast competition. Last summer, we definitely had a racial reckoning. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally. Current. And it really opened the funnel. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot.. The network has won acclaim for its coverage of wars and disasters, yet suffered its own crisis and tragedy in 2016 when its David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan. So sad to me. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. It was hard for everyone. The newsroom currently stands at just shy of 490 people, while programming has shot up to 230. Trump has notably praised authoritarian figures, including the leaders of North Korea, the Philippines, Russia and Turkey and has waged his own fight against journalists. For two years, he served as the president and CEO of a cable trade group called the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing. Current: What challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans? Were working with them to do joint investigative reporting. He began his career in media at age 17 when he was hired as a studio technician and cameraman for WPSD TV in Kentucky. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? In an interview on Friday, Mr. Lansing, 62, praised NPR as a home of high-quality journalism and audio production, and said that in addition to supporting traditional radio broadcasting he wanted to help NPR further its expansion into areas like podcasts, where the radio network has already been a leader. Born and raised in Albany, New York, Lansing was trained as a lawyer, and was long involved in politics and government.During the American Revolution he was military secretary to General Philip Schuyler. Coming into public media, which I love, I noticed something that would be unusual in commercial media, in that there really wasnt a great investment in marketing podcasting to outside audiences off of our platforms. 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? John Lansing, a veteran government broadcast and cable television executive, has been selected by NPR's corporate board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn. Well, I like NPR Politics a lot. So we took that very, very seriously. At the same time, we have to think creatively. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. Current: How much were those anonymous gifts? NPR Names Veteran Media Executive John Lansing As Its New CEO There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. So its a constant commitment to communication, to training, to accountability. At Colorado Public Radio, I think there was a $300,000 donation that came out of that. Mohn fired head of news Michael Oreskes on Halloween 2017. I would enjoy being on a podcast talking about politics. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. He was responsible for strategic and operational oversight and P&L of the $2.5 billion division of Scripps Networks Interactive, including the company's portfolio of six cable networks Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country and the $100 million Scripps Networks Digital division. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. "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. At the center of a graphic is our commitment to DEI, and all of our work in that circle is surrounded by four pillars. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. Scripps Company, where he managed the company's portfolio of ten broadcast television stations across the country. John Lansing, president and CEO Chair of the NPR Foundation John McGinn Public members of the board Carlos Alvarez, CEO, The Gambrinus Company Fred Dust, designer, speaker, and consultant Paul G. Haaga Jr., retired, Capital Research and Management Company - Chairman of the NPR Board of Directors So at the end of the day, its a commitment, but this also has to be accountability. You hear me say fairly often it's not a thing that's going to end; it's really a new way of operating with an awareness of this weakness that we need to address and build upon and ensure that it lives on and continues to improve. That survey happened in the fall of 2020. 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. We still remain one of the top, if not the top, podcasters in America. He is a member of the Quinnipiac University School of Communications Advisory Board and the National Board of Advisors of George Washington University's School of Media & Public Affairs. David Folkenflik on Twitter: "News: NPR to lay off about 10 percent of "We're not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market," Lansing says in an interview. NPR's chief news executive, Nancy Barnes, said Friday she would be leaving the network, prompted by NPR CEO John Lansing's decision to create a new executive role above her. It did not drive a lot of immediate donations, but there were some. She also has led initiatives to reform hiring practices and to sweep far more temporary positions into permanent slots, often working closely with the network's chief unions to do so. "When we say we are eliminating filled positions, we are talking about our colleagues - people whose skills, spirit and talents help make NPR what it is today," Lansing wrote in a memo to staff today. Talk about a force of nature. Lansing: I guess my head turns first to the journalism of our member stations. What we now call the North Star of our strategic plan is our DEI efforts as it filters through everything that we do with all of our work. 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. I subscribe to the notion of leadership as a servant leader, that the role of leaders is to support the team to do their best work. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. Its pretty clear to me that the ratings decline in radio is driven by commuting patterns. Harvard Kennedy School. From 2015 to 2019, Lansing served as the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the independent federal agency whose programming reaches an average weekly audience of 345 million people in 62 languages. It is our work. And weve seen some significant success with that. A review by the House Foreign Affairs Committee faulted the agency for insufficient oversight but noted that an internal task force was already having an impact. In an interview, Mr. Lansing called the ads a rogue incident and said it had been corrected. You have stated that DEI is your top priority at NPR. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. "Management is about committing to strategy, making tough decisions.". When you first got to NPR, what did you think? I have a negative reaction to what is fundamentally unfair in life, whether it be pay equity, promotions and advancement, training and hiring, or making sure leadership represents people of color and our staff. Lansing: Thats a great question. It was a reckoning for all of us together collectively at NPR. Disclosure: This story was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik under guidance from NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi. NPR has a new CEO. 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. Last fall, when announcing the earlier cuts, Lansing said the network would have to make tough choices - and to "do less with less." In setting NPR's earlier rounds of budget cuts a couple months ago, Lansing consulted ahead of time with leaders of the unions representing workers at NPR with an eye to avoiding any layoffs. Being selective, having mentors both white and people of color mentors that you can have confidential conversations with and gain some thoughts to help you develop your strategy, standing up for yourself which essentially is what happened at NPR through the climate survey and holding leaders accountable for everything. Who is the NPR CEO? John Lansing Profile - Public Media Now 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. Scripps Networks Four years ago, Lansing was named by President Barack Obama to be the first chief executive of the broadcasting outfit that was renamed the U.S. Agency for Global Media. It's interesting. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. 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. Here's what to do in a worst case scenario. So I think thats being offset by some listening through smart speakers and even online, and thats helping to offset some of the reduction in listening within vehicles. 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. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. Lansing describes himself as a citizen watching from the outside A private citizen? hide caption. NPRs search for a new CEO is finally over! As I said, its hiring, its emphasis on diversity in leadership, diversity in sources, diversity in voices, diversity in the stories we tell, training around our organization. A new chief content officer will oversee NPR's news and programming divisions, which have frequently collaborated and almost as frequently clashed over resources and . Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan He has previously announced he would be staying on as president emeritus to help the network raise major gifts, and along with his wife, Pamela Mohn, he personally committed $10 million to the network. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. I thought, wow. The first pillar is to expand the power of the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. The budget for the new fiscal year is set below last years actual based on our forecasts on continued downward pressure on corporate sponsorship. John Lansing, a veteran government broadcast and cable television executive, has been selected by NPR's corporate board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn. How do you think that the North Star, the strategic initiative, is going? Weve seen significant growth in Code Switch, in Louder Than a Riot, in Sam Sanders podcast [Its Been a Minute], in part because for the first time in a while, were really investing in marketing support for those podcasts. An open letter to NPR President John Lansing: Racial justice - Current That content executive position has not yet been filled; its creation led to the departure of then-NPR chief news executive Nancy Barnes. "Jarl would be the first to say that it is the area where he feels that his work was not complete," Sheikholeslami said. Board Memberships & Affiliations. Oh wait. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. "This will be a major loss.". ", "I am thrilled to work with NPR's exceptional management team, staff and journalists," said Lansing. I just think we have a special and unique thing as a company. "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. Since then,. And for those stations that were scheduled to have a reduction, we allowed those reductions to go forward with a floor of 3% so that nobodys dues went up. So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. He was promoted to news photographer after two years, then moved on to managing editor, news director, and leadership of commercial television affiliates around the country. It's not just what happened this week on the Hill, although that's important. There were three of them, each for $1 million. The last time NPR faced such stark choices, it was 2008. Lansing, who is 62, is currently the chief executive of the government agency that oversees Voice of America, Radio and Television Mart and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, among others. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. promoting Keith Woods to chief diversity officer, regional newsrooms in Texas and California and the Midwest and in the Gulf, I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer, looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app, Suspension of NPRs Kroc fellowships disrupts talent development, career plans of student journalists. Lansing: Lets go back in time. So Im pleased to see that that short era is over. If it's not being solved from the top down, it shouldn't be a burden for people just trying to build their career. You go to college and all the sudden you're like 'wait a minute, I've got to do something when this is over.' Current: How else might NPR assist stations in the coming year? And The New York Times has won praise and new fans through its weekday podcast The Daily, with in-depth interviews of reporters and newsmakers.

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