I thought, wow. 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. I'm sure that's true even today. He also vowed to make sure job cuts do not fall disproportionately on employees of color. 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. NPR's president of operations, Loren Mayor, was the leading internal candidate for the chief executive position. But my goals also go to all of my direct reports. August 20, 2022 August 20th is National Radio Day. How is it a priority? Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? "The result, I believe, is a war on truth. John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. 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%. And were pleased to work with them. 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. 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. Lansing, who is 62, is. 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. I think you have to be transparent and be able to explain what you're doing, even if it's unpopular. Scripps Company, where he managed the company's portfolio of ten broadcast television stations across the country. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. I established DEI as our top priority on Jan. 5 of 2020. Its something that we certainly support. We are different from other federal agencies, said Grant K. Turner, the agencys chief financial officer. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. Lansing: SAG-AFTRA came out with their letter around our September board meeting in 2020. 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. 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. 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. ", "It's always difficult in these situations, and I don't want to minimize the impact that it will have on our colleagues and in some cases, you know, our ability to do what we do," Lee says. For two years, he served as the president and CEO of a cable trade group called the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing. Today is a good day to remember the vital role public radio plays in providing the information we all need to fully exercise our rights in our democracy. Just be tuned into our folks. Board Member. 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. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. Lansing has earned an advanced degree in political agility. 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. 5 takeaways from the massive layoffs hitting Big Tech right now, the network announced $20 million in cuts, NPR to impose near-freeze on hiring but avoids layoffs as budget cuts loom, NPR chief news executive Nancy Barnes to depart as network reshapes top ranks, January is often a big month for layoffs. But also, what are the larger things that are happening? Lansing's tenure at the agency has not been without controversy. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. "Governments around the world are increasingly cracking down on the free flow of information; silencing dialogue and dissent; and distorting reality," Lansing said in a speech he delivered in May to the Media for Democracy Forum. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. 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. I think you have to be in front of your teams. It really stretched me to understand that flexibility is a good thing. I will say in the last three or four weeks weve seen a little bit of an uptick in a positive way on corporate sponsorship. The newsroom currently stands at just shy of 490 people, while programming has shot up to 230. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. How do you think that the North Star, the strategic initiative, is going? Today, we feature John Lansing, CEO of NPR. 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? We can share resources and story ideas, and we can help organize and support those efforts. We are not just putting out regulations or policies and paperwork. I think the work Keith has been doing long before I got here on diversity in tracking sources and the storytelling that we're doing around the company has really been effective in the area of DEI on radio, podcasting, and digital. The roots of the VOA involved providing truthful reports to people under Nazi and Axis power rule during World War II. All of those underlying effects generally lead to whatever effects were going to have in corporate sponsorship. So sad to me. It was hard for everyone. Last year, President Trump appointed Michael Pack as USAGMs CEO. I think leaders are accountable for walking the walk, for doing what they say they're going to do. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. Board Memberships & Affiliations. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. I'm kind of a politics junkie. 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. NPR's Michel Martin asks NPR's CEO, John Lansing, to respond to an All Things Considered interview with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He joined NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. "I have been an avid fan of NPR for many years. . 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. The other is the fight for donors. How are you working to shore up NPRs place in the podcasting landscape and compete with deep-pocketed tech companies? 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. 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. 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. It was a reckoning for all of us together collectively at NPR. National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . I joined in October of '19. In setting NPR's earlier rounds of budget cuts a couple months ago, Lansing consulted ahead of time with leaders of the unions representing workers at NPR with an eye to avoiding any layoffs. Oh wait. We had begun a lot of work under [Chief Diversity Officer] Keith Woods' leadership to really move us forward. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. "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.". Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? And the work goes on. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. Current: NPR has helped stations during the pandemic by delaying planned changes to the dues they pay. Were working with member stations on topic teams for, say, political reporting or criminal justice reporting across the system. Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Acting Chief Business Editor Emily Kopp. When you first got to NPR, what did you think? And what a breath of fresh air Whitney brings into the organization. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. There are over 1000 NPR Member Station signals broadcasting across the United States John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. John Lansing , CEO of NPR NPR President John Lansing '09 is Bellarmine's 2021 commencement speaker, Honorary Degree recipient April 22, 2021 NPR P. 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. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. I had no idea what was out there. You have stated that DEI is your top priority at NPR. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' 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 . The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. Lansing also elevated to chief strategy officer a former U.S. State Department staffer who recently pleaded guilty to having defrauded the U.S. Agency for Global Media out of more than $40,000 in government money in 2018, according to federal prosecutors. He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. 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. It's not just what happened this week on the Hill, although that's important. I thought, wow. Yet the tech and media industries' prospects stand at odds with a tight labor market and low unemployment more broadly. When will that freeze be lifted? I think that's where we all wind up. Lansing also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging. Mr. Mohn led the push into podcasting and helped stabilize the organization after years of management turnover and budget deficits. He took over a troubled organization beset by infighting and bureaucratic inefficiency. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images 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. I can't speak for other people, CEOs. John Lansing - Quick Profile. 2017-2022. Lansing, who is . He began his career in media at age 17 when he was hired as a studio technician and cameraman for WPSD TV in Kentucky. Were working with them to do joint investigative reporting. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. The work of those pillars will be done through the lens of improving our efforts on DEI. At the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Lansing championed a free press even as leaders of many nations move against it. 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's total workforce has grown by about 50 percent since before that crisis. This is an edited transcript of the conversation among Lansing, Current Reporter Tyler Falk and Digital Editor Mike Janssen. 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.. Lansing: Were still working on it right now. But here, Lansing basically jumps over those disclaimers using the lame attribution of private citizen.. 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? 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. Age: 62, Born on July 31, 1957, in Minneapolis Our DEI efforts at the beginning of 2020 were not a project or an extracurricular activity; it really became our work. 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. 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. Apple is reportedly building a podcast subscription service. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. NPR Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. We discovered in our most recent climate survey that that was an area that we needed to put more effort into. 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. Let's say, I was walking out of high school into college, I had no idea what I was going to do. 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. So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. For July, NPRs 60 active shows among them Planet Money, Fresh Air and Wait Wait Dont Tell Me! were downloaded 141 million times and had nearly 21 million listeners in the United States, according to Podtrac. "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. Its not something weve baked and were just going to hand it down. Tech companies that also rely heavily on advertising are undergoing layoffs too. "We were doing everything we could against the tide and couldn't keep clipping our costs as the revenue kept slipping," Lansing says. NPR draws more than 28 million listeners each week and 40 million unique monthly visitors to its website both represent a rise of several million over those five years. Required fields are marked *. Its an inclusive process. "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. Last year, the network booked $134 million in such corporate underwriting, a record built on strong growth in podcasting revenue in recent years. Today, those individual situations are happening in the background when everybody's working, whether it's kids that are school age, or kids that are toddlers, or elder care, or spouses working in the same room or in the same apartment. 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 . 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 . 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. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. It all goes back to our mission: serving the American public, recognizing the American public is a diverse mosaic that makes America great and strong, and making sure that we're building systems and content that resonates with all Americans. 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? How does the economy react to all of that? Lansing: That was conducted back in September. 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. 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. Being a changemaker is awesome, but can have its own challenges as you're just trying to improve your career. 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. "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. 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. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. 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. Lansing: I dont know how long that may or may not take, but our emphasis right now is on our own internal digital strategy, digital production, digital storytelling. 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. And how's that being measured and accounted for? Its a real business with real market dynamics.. So Im pleased to see that that short era is over. This is just dishonest, especially since NPR became what amounted to a voice of the opposition in its coverage of this dysfunctional federal agency. Its not a sidebar. Here's what to do in a worst case scenario. According to Nielsen data supplied by NPR, its programs and newscasts had an overall audience of 27.4 million in spring 2019. 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. America needs public radio more than ever. First of all, as a white man, my first reaction is that it's important for white people in general to understand the inherent biases that we have, even when we think we don't, unconsciously. I'm from Minneapolis, and my parents are buried about six blocks from where George Floyd was killed. At the same time, we have to think creatively. But now we're seeing authoritarian regimes expanding around the globe, with media repression in places like Turkey and Venezuela, Cambodia and Vietnam.". So we took that very, very seriously. Mr. Lansing rejected that accusation, saying that the agency was independent by law. Lansing will begin his term at NPR in October and will succeed Jarl Mohn, who has been Chief Executive Officer and President since 2014. advanced degree - political agility. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. We established the top priority [a.k.a. You have shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be broadcasting tent poles, Mr. Lansing said. NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. Lansing says even that proved overly optimistic. You go to college and all the sudden you're like 'wait a minute, I've got to do something when this is over.' And probably the most important accountability is that, first of all, I hold myself accountable with my goals that I report to the board. I had been gone for the better part of a year or so. Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlansing. NPR, the public radio giant that employs hundreds of journalists, is about to get a new chief executive. Lansing said in an interview with Current Thursday that one of his first observations upon joining NPR was that we needed to double down our efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion. 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. And I was very proud of the progress we were making. 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. Michael was a senior marketing executive at Scripps for Food Network and HGTV and really brings a lot of media marketing expertise. I am still morning the loss of an objective NPR. There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. "We are delighted to welcome John, whose deep experience as a media industry executive and practicing journalist make him ideally suited to lead NPR into its next chapter," said Paul Haaga, Chair of the NPR board. 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. 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. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. 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. And our work began then. He spent two decades at Scripps Networks, starting as a station manager in the Detroit, MI affiliate; eventually becoming President of Scripps cable networks company from 2005 to 2013. Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. He won praise for doing so and says he informed leaders of SAG-AFTRA on Tuesday about the impending job cuts. This time, Lansing says he is not confident the money will return anytime soon, so the network and its board have to plan more strategically.
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