I thought, wow. And the work goes on. Government support for the public radio system isnt in any immediate jeopardy. I think we're moving forward. Will there be another stimulus? One thing I would say is, research the places you're looking at to either begin your career or advance your career and understand where they are on these issues. It was hard for everyone. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. Did you know that one day you would become a CEO? 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. I think there are interesting trends to follow and try to understand. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. Both Lansing and Sheikholeslami say he is adamant about pressing forward with reforms to the workplace culture at NPR that Mayor has already started to put in place. Current: Why are NPR and its partners looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app? But now were seeing authoritarian regimes expanding around the globe, with media repression in places like Turkey and Venezuela, Cambodia and Vietnam.. 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. Talk about a force of nature. 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. 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. Well, I like NPR Politics a lot. hide caption. 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 think you have to be willing to take hard questions. 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. 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. 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. 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. So we were pleased to see SAG-AFTRA join our efforts. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. 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,. And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. 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? And its tied to the same variables you would know yourselves, which is, how fast can the vaccines be deployed? First, we're a nonprofit. Mohn fired head of news Michael Oreskes on Halloween 2017. I would enjoy being on a podcast talking about politics. What would you go back and tell your younger self? NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. I hear that all the time. Essentially, the success of the company falls in your hands. But it was not from a standing start. Current: What are some of the highlights of that strategic plan? CEO John Lansing discusses NPRs diversity efforts, budget deficit and growing podcast competition. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Current is an editorially independent, nonprofit service of the American University School of Communication. And our work began then. What is the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year? 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. Current: When was the climate survey conducted? The challenges he will face at NPR are not dissimilar to challenges across the media landscape as a whole, said Sheikholeslami, who will soon take up the CEO job at New York Public Radio. Bloomberg Markets live from New York, focused on bringing you the most important global business and breaking markets news and information as it happens. 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. Current. Last year brought a host of challenges to NPR: a multimillion-dollar deficit, calls for changes in its workplace culture and a hit to broadcast listening. 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. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We'd like to revisit a story. Lansing's tenure at the agency has not been without controversy. 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 its a constant commitment to communication, to training, to accountability. The budget for the new fiscal year is set below last years actual based on our forecasts on continued downward pressure on corporate sponsorship. 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. U.S. Agency for Global Media 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. 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. The first pillar is to expand the power of the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. It's not an extracurricular activity; it's fundamental to our business. He is credited with restoring morale, in part by naming a noted journalist as head of the Voice of America: Amanda Bennett is a former top news executive at the Philadelphia Inquirer who previously held senior newsroom jobs at Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal. In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. And how's that being measured and accounted for? Networks like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are meant to counter disinformation from foreign governments by broadcasting objective reports, although they have always been dogged by an accusation that they are a form of American propaganda. Lansing, who is 62, is. NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. That's a big thing too: having a common understanding of what management's committed to, what the Board supports, the work that's in front of us to live up to it, and ultimately diversifying our audience which leads to the business purpose. 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. NPR takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. You have shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be broadcasting tent poles, Mr. Lansing said. Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. You have stated that DEI is your top priority at NPR. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. 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.. The combination of his health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans.. 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 I got this part time job at a TV station to make a little money while I was going to college. 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. 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. Government support for the public radio system isn't in any immediate jeopardy. 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. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. Lansing: We arent in a position to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic is going to subside. 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. You can't escape that. If we don't get this right, then our audience of the next 50 years will lack the diversity that would give it the ability to grow and thrive and prosper and even survive. 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. So we took that very, very seriously. Mr. Mohn was pressed about his leadership in a tense NPR interview and later apologized to employees for not taking action sooner. 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 . So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. 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.". John F. Lansing joined USAGM as CEO and Director in September 2015. Being a changemaker is awesome, but can have its own challenges as you're just trying to improve your career. Lansing will begin his term at NPR in October and will succeed Jarl Mohn, who has been Chief Executive Officer and President since 2014. NPR's search for a new CEO is finally over! Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlansing. But thats our commitment. Your email address will not be published. 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. Both Lansing and Sheikholeslami say he is adamant about pressing forward with reforms to the workplace culture at NPR that Mayor has already started to put in place. "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. Bloomberg Markets European Close. 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. The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. When that happened, it energized us to really double down on understanding where our weak spots were, what we needed to work on. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' I think you have to be transparent and be able to explain what you're doing, even if it's unpopular. Its something that we certainly support. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions, Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. 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