"What we've shown with podcasting is that we can take some of our core journalistic assets and we can create new formats and new programs around them and actually reach new audiences. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot. NPR is funded by the CPB/PBS which are funded in part by the U.S. government. And it gives the lie to NPRs claim, through disclaimers, that it is simply reporting on its own the implication of the disclaimer being that there is no editorial control or direction from the CEO. We can share resources and story ideas, and we can help organize and support those efforts. 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. 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 . 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. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.". Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. Lansing has also put significant stock into what he calls the NPR Network, which calls for greater unity of coverage and digital initiatives, such as newsletters, streaming, podcasts and more. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. The various challenges everybody's having from working at home, for example, you realize that everybody's situation is different when you're working. 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. We had begun a lot of work under [Chief Diversity Officer] Keith Woods' leadership to really move us forward. 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. NPR has a new CEO. "Bloomberg Opinion" columnists offer their opinions on issues in the news. That survey happened in the fall of 2020. In recent remarks online, Johnson, who is Black, focused on a more competitive landscape for NPR journalists, including people of color. I think that's where we all wind up. Theres no question about it. Mr. Lansing, who began his career as a teenage cameraman at a television station in Kentucky, spent two decades at Scripps Networks. LANSING, John, Jr., (Uncle of Gerrit Yates Lansing), a Delegate from New York; born in Albany, N.Y., January 30, 1754; studied law in Albany and in New York City; was admitted to the bar in 1775; secretary to General Schuyler 1776 and 1777; engaged in the practice of law in Albany in 1778; member of the State assembly 1781-1784, 1786, and 1789, and served as speaker in 1786 and 1789; Member of . 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. 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. 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 we finally got to the point where there was nothing really that we could cut big enough to fill a hole like that.". So mentally, how do you manage that? I think you have to be transparent and be able to explain what you're doing, even if it's unpopular. He also vowed to make sure job cuts do not fall disproportionately on employees of color. You go to college and all the sudden you're like 'wait a minute, I've got to do something when this is over.' NPR, the public radio giant that employs hundreds of journalists, is about to get a new chief executive. 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. Learn more at npr.org/about or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 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. "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. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. Lansing says he does not yet know who within NPR will be affected, but said the job cuts would not fall evenly across the organization. Doing that just requires that were putting more emphasis on the diversity of our decision makers, our leadership, our story selection, our source selection. Lansing: About 11 months ago, in February, a pilot group of 15 stations got together and put together an 18-month plan to begin the process. Last year, the network booked $134 million in such corporate underwriting, a record built on strong growth in podcasting revenue in recent years. 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. 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. How is it a priority? 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? During that financial crisis, NPR shut down shows and laid off scores of people. How are you working to shore up NPRs place in the podcasting landscape and compete with deep-pocketed tech companies? It goes on to say that Mr. Lansing, 62, is currently the chief executive of the government agency, The U.S. Agency for Global Media, that oversees Voice of America, Radio and Television Marti, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, among others. Current: When was the climate survey conducted? Why did you undertake this? Way back when, I was a news cameraman. All of those underlying effects generally lead to whatever effects were going to have in corporate sponsorship. 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. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. Current: How much were those anonymous gifts? 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. 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. I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. A graduate of Bellarmine University, he was named to the Bellarmine University Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2010. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 And it really opened the funnel. But we felt like it was an important investment to make in our member stations to support them during the pandemic. Lansing started his news industry career at age 17 as a studio technician and cameraman at WPSD TV, Paducah, KY, where he was promoted to news photographer after two years. 2017-2022. "And I want to look for areas that I can provide leadership to bring resources together as needed strategically to find the right priorities that make the most sense for growing NPR this year and then into the future.". And I was very proud of the progress we were making. hide caption. But here, Lansing basically jumps over those disclaimers using the lame attribution of private citizen.. The union represents 570 people at NPR. . I think there's an awareness, like in the way you asked the question about 'our North Star.' NPR Press Release. I think there are interesting trends to follow and try to understand. CEO John Lansing says ad revenue for podcasting shriveled even as general economy seems on mend. Current. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. Apple is reportedly building a podcast subscription service. But were going to continue to follow up on that going into this year. 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. It's interesting. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. Current: NPR has helped stations during the pandemic by delaying planned changes to the dues they pay. So we were pleased to see SAG-AFTRA join our efforts. For the year that ended last September, NPR reported $241 million in expenses. Lansing, 62, who is currently chief executive officer of the government agency that oversees Voice of America, Radio and Television Mart and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, among others . John Lansing , CEO of NPR NPR President John Lansing '09 is Bellarmine's 2021 commencement speaker, Honorary Degree recipient April 22, 2021 NPR P. 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 Anyone can read what you share. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. So we took that very, very seriously. John F Lansing, National Public Radio Inc: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Live Now Bloomberg TV+ Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East. You have shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be broadcasting tent poles, Mr. Lansing said. No. Current: What are some of the highlights of that strategic plan? And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. There are over 1000 NPR Member Station signals broadcasting across the United States 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. 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. Lansing said he took pride in maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences, reaching about 25% more people each week. Last fall, when announcing the earlier cuts, Lansing said the network would have to make tough choices - and to "do less with less." Mr. Lansing will start in October, replacing Jarl Mohn, who has run NPR since 2014. Current: Is there a timeline for that process? Current: NPR and a group of stations started a pilot project around collaborative fundraising in 2019. 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.. 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. 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. And its something that I think will strengthen the ability for news programming, marketing and member services to be more responsive and to offer greater service to audiences in a more agile way. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. Just be tuned into our folks. And be a good listener. "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. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. 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. And I think we have to extend that lead. At Colorado Public Radio, I think there was a $300,000 donation that came out of that. NPR's chief executive announced the network would lay off roughly 10% of its . He joined NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. Lansing: Back in May and June, it was an alarming decline in radio ratings. When asked about his priorities, Lansing invoked what he has called the network's "North Star'' since his arrival in the fall of 2019: a push to ensure the network has a bigger and broader audience base, rooted in younger and more diverse listeners, readers and consumers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Current is an editorially independent, nonprofit service of the American University School of Communication. Its an inclusive process. I just think we have a special and unique thing as a company. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? "The result, I believe, is a war on truth. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. Scripps Company, where he managed the company's portfolio of ten broadcast television stations across the country. What is the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year? And what a breath of fresh air Whitney brings into the organization. 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. September 6, 2019. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. hide caption. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. Lansing: Thats a great question. In a private meeting on Thursday President Biden informed Senate Democrats that he will not use his veto power to block a GOP-led effort to repeal D.C.'s new crime law. Government support for the public radio system isn't in any immediate jeopardy. On an annual budget of roughly $300 million, Lansing says, revenues are likely to fall short by close to $30 million, although that gap could reach $32 million. 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? How cool is it to be at NPR? But now we're seeing authoritarian regimes expanding around the globe, with media repression in places like Turkey and Venezuela, Cambodia and Vietnam.". CEO John Lansing discusses NPRs diversity efforts, budget deficit and growing podcast competition. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot.. Weve also seen very positive upticks in development. What would you go back and tell your younger self? 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: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? Current: Last year, the SAG-AFTRA union called out NPRs previous failures on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion and asked management to commit to accountability measures. 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. "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. 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 . 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. It is our work our North Star and our work are the same thing. We'd like to revisit a story that first broke yesterday and . He soon made DEI the top priority at NPR. 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. ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. In an interview, Lansing said he wants to build on NPR's successes in broadcast news and entertainment to become even more dominant in podcasting and more prevalent in streaming. 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. And the work goes on. "We're not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market," Lansing says in an interview. 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%. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? NPR 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. Being a changemaker is awesome, but can have its own challenges as you're just trying to improve your career. The emphasis, he says, must be on drawing in "the future audience to make NPR sustainable for the next 50 years. Current: Why are NPR and its partners looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app? I remember we had several all-staff discussions about a variety of issues that branched off of that, including the Code of Conduct, for example, as it relates to NPR employees at public demonstrations. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. This documentary-style series follows investigative journalists as they uncover the truth. 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. So I wouldn't create a politics podcast because there are too many, and we have the best one of many already. Were working with member stations on topic teams for, say, political reporting or criminal justice reporting across the system. Weve had a couple of significant anonymous gifts that have helped shore up our forecast for the coming fiscal year. John Lansing testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee in July. Current: What challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans? NPR's president of operations, Loren Mayor, was the leading internal candidate for the chief executive position. NPR Facebook Post with Comments. Live from. It began to improve a little bit as we moved into August and September, as corporate sponsorships began to recover a little bit. advanced degree - political agility. He won praise for doing so and says he informed leaders of SAG-AFTRA on Tuesday about the impending job cuts. John Lansing, a media executive with government broadcast and cable television experience, has been named by NPR's board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn who announced the plan to step down after his 5-Year term ended. Mr. Lansing rejected that accusation, saying that the agency was independent by law. For several years, it eliminated salary increases and suspended retirement contributions. Its not a sidebar. I established DEI as our top priority on Jan. 5 of 2020. 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. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. I just think that somebody's truth is the truth. Current: How else might NPR assist stations in the coming year? September 5, 2019; Washington, D.C. The NPR Board of Directors announced today that it selected John Lansing to become its next President and Chief Executive Officer. So if you have leaders talking about DEI as a priority, well, then, show me. Required fields are marked *. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan When you first got to NPR, what did you think? It didnt begin in the summer it accelerated in the summer. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' Essentially, the success of the company falls in your hands. 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. I, and the management team, all of us, we determined that was going to be a priority for the year 2021. We are not just putting out regulations or policies and paperwork. The first pillar is to expand the power of the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. "Nothing is nailed down yet except the principles and what we know we have to reach.". hide caption. Lansing, who is 62, is. We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. "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. So I would tell my younger self to be confident, calm down, it's all gonna work out. Prior to that, Lansing was VP and GM of Scripps ABC affiliates. 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. 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 broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. 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. We established the top priority [a.k.a. NPR's search for a new CEO is finally over! It is our work. Lansing: They were for general. Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. I think you have to be in front of your teams. 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. Oh wait. How cool is it to be at. I got this part time job at a TV station to make a little money while I was going to college. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. And so that was the way I looked at the future for me. He is passionate about NPR's public service mission and the role of a free and independent media in a strong democracy. 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. That's the way I think about leadership here. 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. 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. He is. Were consulting with digital media, were consulting with the division heads, and were doing it as an all-hands project so that we get it right. Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlansing. 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. 2016 John Lansing leading a moderated a discussion with the members of the International Media Coordinating Council (ICC) about a unified strategy for the future. So those are the four pillars that rotate around the centerpiece, we call it the North Star, of our commitment to DEI. 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. At the center of a graphic is our commitment to DEI, and all of our work in that circle is surrounded by four pillars. He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a nongovernmental broadcaster. All rights reserved. During the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, NPR was at risk of laying off staff when sponsors canceled their spots on the network, said John Lansing, NPR's chief executive. 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. So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? 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. 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.
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