"During this period when rigorous, fact-based and context-rich . NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. Essentially, the success of the company falls in your hands. So those are the four pillars that rotate around the centerpiece, we call it the North Star, of our commitment to DEI. The network's fight for listeners' time has become more feverish. At the same time, we have to think creatively. 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. NPR has also been the nation's leading producer of podcasts since Podtrac started measuring audiences. I think we're moving forward. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. And probably the most important accountability is that, first of all, I hold myself accountable with my goals that I report to the board. 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. Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. 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. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. So Im pleased to see that that short era is over. A later report commissioned by the NPR board found that questions had been raised about Oreskes' behavior even before his hiring and that concerns were raised throughout his tenure; the repeated and formal warnings by top executives (including Mohn) to Oreskes to stop the unwanted attention he paid to female colleagues proved ineffective. Way back when, I was a news cameraman. And I had a lot of interest in how my former team was being treated, but more importantly, just as an American citizen, how the work of USAGM through VOA [Voice of America] and RFE/RL [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] was threatening to undermine the interests of the United States government by politicizing journalism that was meant by law to be free of political interference. In these comments, John Lansing slides by with a public swipe at the Trump In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. While member stations on average receive about 10% of their funding from the federal government, fees from the stations make up a significant part of the NPR budget. The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under Communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. 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.. NPR maintains 17 national bureaus and 17 bureaus abroad. It has won acclaim for its coverage of wars and disasters yet suffered its own crisis and tragedy in 2017 when NPRs David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna were killed in southern Afghanistan on assignment. Current: NPRs budget also took a hit because of the pandemic. And as a CEO, and also as a white man, I want to know, how did you handle it when all eyes were on you? 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. NPR's John Lansing Discusses the Importance of Integrity in Journalism By Nicole Jones - October 30, 2020 0 463 NPR National President and CEO John Lansing joined the Belmont community for a conversation about integrity in journalism, highlighting its importance especially during an election year. It's not just what happened this week on the Hill, although that's important. (Podcast). 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. June 1, 20203:52 PM ET. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions, Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. Your email address will not be published. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. I just think we have a special and unique thing as a company. He will now lead the nation's top audio producer and broadcaster. Current: Is there a timeline for that process? We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. If it's not being solved from the top down, it shouldn't be a burden for people just trying to build their career. 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. 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. Why did you undertake this? 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 . I just started in May. So that would be mine. 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. We had begun a lot of work under [Chief Diversity Officer] Keith Woods' leadership to really move us forward. But an example of that one that weve already created is the Consider This podcast, which is just a terrific example of taking the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. No. "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. Government support for the public radio system isnt in any immediate jeopardy. 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. Lansing says the agency referred Haroon Ullah's 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. This is essentially the DEI work writ large, but also our culture of respect, safety, upward mobility, training and making NPR a world-class organization for which to work. My top goal is to support the women of color at NPR so that they feel like they have more upward mobility.. So mentally, how do you manage that? Video Snippet "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.". Lansing: Everybodys at a different place with DEI depending on where they stand, whether thats a person who is white and doesnt understand how white privilege has improved their standing in their career in a way that persons of color may have not experienced. The work of those pillars will be done through the lens of improving our efforts on DEI. He soon made DEI the top priority at NPR. Last summer, we definitely had a racial reckoning. 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.. 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. There were three of them, each for $1 million. 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. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. 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. I think you have to be transparent and be able to explain what you're doing, even if it's unpopular. He is passionate about NPR's public service mission and the role of a free and independent media in a strong democracy. There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. Yet Lansing also takes over an institution riven by a scandal that hit its top reaches, with a chief news executive toppled over #MeToo complaints of inappropriate conduct toward female subordinates and colleagues. U.S. Agency for Global Media Fear drives their path. First, we're a nonprofit. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. Its new president and chief executive is John Lansing, a former cable . Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. 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. It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. But my goals also go to all of my direct reports. Its not a sidebar. "I have been an avid fan of NPR for many years. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. Mohn fired head of news Michael Oreskes on Halloween 2017. In an interview, Lansing said he wants to build on NPRs successes in broadcast news and entertainment to become even more dominant in podcasting and more prevalent in streaming. As President, he held strategic and operational oversight of Scripps Networks Digital division and Scripps Networks Interactive, which includes six cable networks: Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country. So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. Weve had a couple of significant anonymous gifts that have helped shore up our forecast for the coming fiscal year. When you first got to NPR, what did you think? He joined NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. (Former long time member). 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. Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. NPR has a new CEO. I think there are interesting trends to follow and try to understand. Current: Why are NPR and its partners looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app? Lansing is a media executive with a deep understanding of journalism, having spent two decades as an award-winning journalist, successful newsroom leader and major market local media executive before becoming a global chief executive officer. Lansing: SAG-AFTRA came out with their letter around our September board meeting in 2020. Were finishing up in the next two to three weeks the specific lists of actions and activities under these pillars. And were happy to see SAG-AFTRA agree with us and to join up. 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. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. In Mr. Mohns first full year on the job, NPR operated in the black after having run a deficit for five of the six preceding years. 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. 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. Lansings tenure at the agency has not been without controversy. Being a changemaker is awesome, but can have its own challenges as you're just trying to improve your career. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion. 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. ", "I am thrilled to work with NPR's exceptional management team, staff and journalists," said Lansing. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? Lansing: Were still working on it right now. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. 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. It began to improve a little bit as we moved into August and September, as corporate sponsorships began to recover a little bit. He guided the organization in becoming a leading developer of unique content across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms. Lansing 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. In an email to the staff on Friday, John Lansing, who joined the nonprofit as chief executive in September, projected that NPR would fall $12 million to $15 million short of the amount it had . Current: How else might NPR assist stations in the coming year? Mr. Lansing rejected that accusation, saying that the agency was independent by law. So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. Mohn had promised to attract major contributions to NPR before the end of his tenure; to date he has not landed the major eight- and nine-figure donations his stated aspirations suggested. Then I moved on to manage TV stations and cable networks. John Gibbs is an American far-right political commentator and politician. 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. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. Every time I hear it, I think that's a success by itself because we all have that as our guiding light. A member of the Republican Party, Gibbs was a software engineer and missionary before entering politics. So its an ongoing effort. "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. 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. Lansing said he took pride in maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences, reaching about 25% more people each week. So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. 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. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. And so in late 2019 we began working on a set of priorities for the calendar year 2020 that included promoting Keith Woods to chief diversity officer; putting more energy behind our effort to have 100% sourcing and notating the diversity of our sources; and hiring, leadership, unconscious bias training, et cetera. 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