And Im holding myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports accountable to me. There was one the year before I was here, then this was the follow-up. 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. Today, we feature John Lansing, CEO of NPR. 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. I established DEI as our top priority on Jan. 5 of 2020. 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. "The result, I believe, is a war on truth. "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. When will that freeze be lifted? He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. But here, Lansing basically jumps over those disclaimers using the lame attribution of private citizen.. 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. 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. 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. Did you know that one day you would become a CEO? 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. Under standard procedures for reporting on NPR matters, NPR's corporate and news executives were not allowed to review the report until it was posted. A member of the Republican Party, Gibbs was a software engineer and missionary before entering politics. I think that's where we all wind up. Current: How much were those anonymous gifts? Our DEI efforts at the beginning of 2020 were not a project or an extracurricular activity; it really became our work. 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. You can't escape that. But second, we're mission-driven, and I think everybody in the organization lives and breathes that mission. The network's fight for listeners' time has become more feverish. 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. 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. Podtrac, which measures the audiences of podcast publishers, has consistently placed NPR at the top of its monthly rankings. 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. Talk about a force of nature. Colorados largest compost processor will no longer accept packaging and paper products, Small liquor stores pivot to more food and delivery as Colorado grocers roll out wine sales, Peloton for horses: Colorado sisters launch equestrian coaching app, The Local 303: Colorado artists were featuring for March 2023. 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. Weve had a couple of significant anonymous gifts that have helped shore up our forecast for the coming fiscal year. NPR maintains 17 national bureaus and 17 bureaus abroad. Lansing's previous experience includes nine years as President of Scripps Networks, where he is credited with guiding the company to become a leading developer of unique content across various media platforms including television, digital, mobile and publishing. How do you think that the North Star, the strategic initiative, is going? What steps does NPR still need to take in this area? 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. The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under Communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. 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. What makes you so open and vocal about the need for diversity? John Lansing is taking over for outgoing CEO. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. Its not something weve baked and were just going to hand it down. And weve seen some significant success with that. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. 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 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. 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. 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. Lansing describes himself as a citizen watching from the outside A private citizen? But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? Lansing: We arent in a position to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic is going to subside. This is simply disingenuous. NPR's Michel Martin asks NPR's CEO, John Lansing, to respond to an All Things Considered interview with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 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 . NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. 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. The result, I believe, is a war on truth., He continued: Citizens in countries from Russia to China, from Iran to North Korea, have been victimized for decades. What was it like for you to watch that happen? Mr. Lansing, who began his career as a teenage cameraman at a television station in Kentucky, spent two decades at Scripps Networks. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. I'm sure that's true even today. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. Weve also seen very positive upticks in development. Their editorial independence is enshrined in federal law, though it sometimes came under attack. Its an inclusive process. In 2019, Joshua Johnson left 1A, a nationally syndicated public affairs show produced by WAMU in Washington, D.C., and distributed by NPR, for MSNBC. Scripps Networks Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. So at the end of the day, its a commitment, but this also has to be accountability. Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. 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. All rights reserved. Lansing also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. Lansing has earned an advanced degree in political agility. Mohn led NPR through five consecutive years of audience growth and budget surplus. 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. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.". What is the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year? CEO John Lansing cited the erosion. Current: Do you have any examples of how digital operations would be integrated into divisions throughout the organization? The agency has an annual budget of $808 million. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. So if you have leaders talking about DEI as a priority, well, then, show me. 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 . And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. Required fields are marked *. The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. The first pillar is to expand the power of the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, For the year that ended last September, NPR reported $241 million in expenses. Mr. Lansing rejected that accusation, saying that the agency was independent by law. I'm just passionate about how good leadership can lead to good outcomes, and that led me here. "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. Just be tuned into our folks. NPR takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. 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. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. 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. NPR's president of operations, Loren Mayor, was the leading internal candidate for the chief executive position. Listen now. It takes a good days drive to cover Colorado, but well help you do it in a few minutes. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. How cool is it to be at NPR? How has that effort been progressing? Were they targeted to specific spending areas or just for general costs? The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. 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.". NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. 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. 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. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. I think you have to be in front of your teams. Job cuts throughout. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 Last year, President Trump appointed Michael Pack as USAGMs CEO. Video Snippet John Lansing, NPR's President and CEO, said the unique arrangement comes at an important time for NPR and for journalism. NPR has also been the nations leading producer of podcasts, since Podtrac started measuring the audiences. He will now lead the nations top audio producer and broadcaster. From John Lansing: Now Is A Time For Truth Telling, For Listening, And For Action. "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. He will be the 11th permanent president or chief executive in the radio network's nearly 50-year history. So sad to me. Your email address will not be published. First, we're a nonprofit. Lansing: We hope to have that completed within about eight to 10 weeks. hide caption. 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. Every time I hear it, I think that's a success by itself because we all have that as our guiding light. But were going to continue to follow up on that going into this year. At the US Agency for Global Media, Lansing championed a free press even as leaders of many nations move against it. Or 'How are we doing on the North Star?' But we felt like it was an important investment to make in our member stations to support them during the pandemic. 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. He is passionate about NPR's public service mission and the role of a free and independent media in a strong democracy. And it really opened the funnel. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We'd like to revisit a story. This documentary-style series follows investigative journalists as they uncover the truth. 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. So mentally, how do you manage that? He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' September 6, 2019. Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. 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. 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