John Lansing testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee in July. Current: Is there a timeline for that process? 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. Age: 62, Born on July 31, 1957, in Minneapolis Well, I'm fortunate that we have a terrific executive committee and leadership team, so we all share the daily ins and outs of managing a big organization. Dear NPR President John Lansing, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the powerful letter you wrote to NPR staff and the public about the horrific extrajudicial killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. And the fourth one is to diversify and grow our revenue models so that were not overly reliant on one or two revenue streams to help strengthen our future financials. The post NPR Names Juana Summers as Co-Host of 'All Things Considered' appeared first on New York Times. Lansing is a veteran executive and journalist who has spent decades leading complex media companies in growing their relevance and reach, while strengthening their business operations. Not exactly. Fear drives their path. Lansing: You have to imagine a picture, if you will. Last year, however, the U.S. Agency for Global Media came under fire when it emerged that it had bought Facebook ads targeting American citizens, in violation of laws meant to protect Americans from domestic propaganda. At a young age, my biggest goal at the time was to someday be a news director for a local TV station. When that happened, it energized us to really double down on understanding where our weak spots were, what we needed to work on. Current: NPR has helped stations during the pandemic by delaying planned changes to the dues they pay. The various challenges everybody's having from working at home, for example, you realize that everybody's situation is different when you're working. And its tied to the same variables you would know yourselves, which is, how fast can the vaccines be deployed? 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. I had no idea what was out there. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. The combination of his health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans.. How cool is it to be at NPR? What do you think are some characteristics of good leadership? And how's that being measured and accounted for? "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. Apple is reportedly building a podcast subscription service. "I have been an avid fan of NPR for many years. Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. 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. We established the top priority [a.k.a. Its an inclusive process. The first pillar is to expand the power of the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. 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. Jarl would be the first to say that it is the area where he feels that his work was not complete, Sheikholeslami said. First, we're a nonprofit. 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. So its an ongoing effort. Live from New York and London, analyzing the major market moving stories across the day in Europe, hear from the biggest newsmakers and showcase the unrivaled expertise of Bloomberg News. Bloomberg Markets live from New York, focused on bringing you the most important global business and breaking markets news and information as it happens. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. He soon made DEI the top priority at NPR. 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. Weve seen a gradual comeback. And our work began then. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' 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. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Lansing: They were for general. I just started in May. I am still morning the loss of an objective NPR. From John Lansing: Now Is A Time For Truth Telling, For Listening, And For Action. Lansing: We hope to have that completed within about eight to 10 weeks. Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. And so I had a very visceral reaction to that happening in my hometown, and that it was so egregious the murder of an innocent person captured on video, on a phone. And some stations who had a schedule to go down actually were allowed to go down. NPR was seen to align itself with federal workers at VOA who essentially conducted an internal uprising on government time, while NPR made quite clear in its coverage where it stood. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a non-governmental broadcaster. Mohn fired head of news Michael Oreskes on Halloween 2017. 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. How is it a priority? We couldnt be more proud of the quality and the depth of the journalism thats coming from the member stations, and it really has strengthened the entire system enormously. I'd say if there's anything that I focused on, and still am focused on during the pandemic, it is to make sure that whatever the situation is, we are supporting staff to do their best work, supporting them when they're having other challenges and making sure that we're attentive and tuned in to employees that need help, that need a break, that need to be heard, whatever that may be. So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. Copyright 2019 NPR. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. We have many miles to go. Lansing: Its on social media platforms or YouTube or through media partnerships. Lansing: We arent in a position to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic is going to subside. And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. Under his leadership NPR has been reaching new audiences as the country's top podcast publisher and through platforms like smart-speakers and connected cars. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. Learn more at npr.org/about or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 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. Its not a sidebar. 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. 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 Mohns health crises. We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. 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. September 6, 2019. Copyright 2023. Disclosure: This story was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik under guidance from NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi. Mohn fired head of news Michael Oreskes on Halloween 2017. 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. 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. And Im holding myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports accountable to me. It began to improve a little bit as we moved into August and September, as corporate sponsorships began to recover a little bit. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. But it was not from a standing start. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? Its my expectation that that will expand throughout the organization, so that everybody understands its everybodys job, and the accountability is going to be something that we measure and transparently report back out. "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. 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? NPR takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. Its something that we certainly support. While member stations on average receive about 10 percent of their funding from the federal government, fees from the stations make up a significant part of the NPR budget. "Your mobility becomes extremely important to be involved and connected to audiences that are mobile and that tend to be, frankly, younger and, as we think of it at USAGM, future leaders, who can influence the rise of free and open societies.". National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . When you first got to NPR, what did you think? Their editorial independence is enshrined in federal law, though it sometimes came under attack. "Jarl would be the first to say that it is the area where he feels that his work was not complete," Sheikholeslami said. It takes a good days drive to cover Colorado, but well help you do it in a few minutes. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. 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. Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. It's not an extracurricular activity; it's fundamental to our business. ", He continued: "Citizens in countries from Russia to China, from Iran to North Korea, have been victimized for decades. Podtrac, which measures the audiences of podcast publishers, has consistently placed NPR at the top of its monthly rankings. Instead, Whitney really helped us to buckle down with discipline, understand what's going on, and meet with women of color [in the organization], as we're doing tonight in our executive committee meeting, which we do regularly now. John Lansing, a veteran government broadcast and cable television executive, has been selected by NPRs corporate board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn. administration regarding the now former managers of his former place of employment (USAGM) but claims the mantle of private citizen to do so. We went from about 900 people a day at headquarters down to about 80 and were virtually broadcasting from peoples homes and offices, in terms of the hosts, almost exclusively beginning in April. People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. 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.. He defined NPR's mission as "serving the public with information and an excellence and quality about it that makes it 'must see' on a variety of platforms.". That was revised as a result. Scripps Company, where he managed the company's portfolio of ten broadcast television stations across the country. 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. I'm kind of a politics junkie. I'm just passionate about how good leadership can lead to good outcomes, and that led me here. 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. And be a good listener. It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. Mohn led NPR through five consecutive years of audience growth and budget surplus. And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. Weve had a couple of significant anonymous gifts that have helped shore up our forecast for the coming fiscal year. It really stretched me to understand that flexibility is a good thing. It's interesting. So I would tell my younger self to be confident, calm down, it's all gonna work out. Mohn placed an emphasis on fostering a more collaborative dynamic with the public radio stations that NPR serves, and was given credit for making progress on that score. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. (Former long time member). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Public Media Now was created to be a centralized source of information and resources to help professional within Public Media be more successful. Lansing also elevated a former U.S. State Department staffer to be chief strategy officer who recently pleaded guilty to having defrauded the U.S. Agency for Global Media of more than $40,000 in government money in 2018, according to federal prosecutors. 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. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We'd like to revisit a story. NPR 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. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. Oh wait. 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. NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans everydayon the air, online, and in person. 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. You have stated that DEI is your top priority at NPR. "North Star"] for NPR on my arrival as supporting the diversity, equity, and inclusion of our staff so that we could become more relevant to our audiences and grow the diversity of our audiences. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Current: You recently made some changes to NPRs digital strategy by moving to integrate digital operations into divisions throughout the organization.This also includes eliminating the role of chief digital officer held by Thomas Hjelm at the end of February. Last year, President Trump appointed Michael Pack as USAGMs CEO. Mr. Mohn led the push into podcasting and helped stabilize the organization after years of management turnover and budget deficits. Scripps Networks September 5, 2019; Washington, D.C. - The NPR Board of Directors announced today that it. He will be the 11th permanent president or chief executive in the radio networks nearly 50-year history. 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? Our goal of developing our audience as a younger and more diverse audience requires that we invest in marketing, we invest in content, and we partner with platforms where those audiences can be found rather than expecting younger and more diverse audiences to come to our platforms, necessarily. 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. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.". I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. I dont know if youve been on the highway recently, but theres a lot more traffic on the highway today than there would have been last May and June. That's the way I think about leadership here. But we felt like it was an important investment to make in our member stations to support them during the pandemic. He defined NPRs mission as serving the public with information and an excellence and quality about it that makes it must see on a variety of platforms.. Lansing says the agency referred Haroon Ullahs expenditures to auditors and investigators after travel assistants flagged them; according to the Justice Department statement, Ullah admitted submitting fraudulent receipts for hotel room reimbursements and fake medical claims to get government payments of upgrades in airline seat assignments, among other offenses. The only route to a successful engagement on this issue is to deal with it, to talk about it, and to take action. Doing that just requires that were putting more emphasis on the diversity of our decision makers, our leadership, our story selection, our source selection. Way back when, I was a news cameraman. And theyre all expected to articulate a DEI goal thats measurable, actionable, and that they can be held accountable for and will be. Well, I like NPR Politics a lot. The streaming platform Spotify paid nearly a quarter-billion dollars to buy the podcast producer Gimlet, founded by former staffers of NPR and other public radio outlets. According to Nielsen data supplied by NPR, its programs and newscasts had an overall audience of 27.4 million in spring 2019. Mr. Lansings colleagues attribute the growth to his embrace of digital formats and the understanding of audiences that he gleaned from the private sector. Mr. mohn led the push john lansing npr political party podcasting radio Networks nearly 50-year history in July on Halloween.. 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