The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under Communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. 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. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. Michael was a senior marketing executive at Scripps for Food Network and HGTV and really brings a lot of media marketing expertise. What steps does NPR still need to take in this area? 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. But we made a firm commitment, as you know, to freeze station dues and fees. Our DEI efforts at the beginning of 2020 were not a project or an extracurricular activity; it really became our work. I think leaders are accountable for walking the walk, for doing what they say they're going to do. August 20, 2022 August 20th is National Radio Day. 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 how's that being measured and accounted for? NPR 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. John Lansing becomes CEO of NPR NPR, the public radio giant that employs hundreds of journalists, is about to get a new chief executive. All of that is to say that coming out of the reckoning of Memorial Day 2020 was for us and for me, in particular, a call to action internally at NPR to hear and reckon with our own issues internally. (Former long time member). 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? 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. Job cuts throughout. 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. At the center of a graphic is our commitment to DEI, and all of our work in that circle is surrounded by four pillars. The message below was sent by NPR's President and CEO John Lansing to all staff: As a . 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. Its pretty clear to me that the ratings decline in radio is driven by commuting patterns. From John Lansing: Now Is A Time For Truth Telling, For Listening, And For Action. Required fields are marked *. 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. The combination of his health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans.. 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. 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. Its my expectation that that will expand throughout the organization, so that everybody understands its everybodys job, and the accountability is going to be something that we measure and transparently report back out. Oh wait. 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. Mr. Lansings colleagues attribute the growth to his embrace of digital formats and the understanding of audiences that he gleaned from the private sector. 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 Foundation. This is an edited transcript of the conversation among Lansing, Current Reporter Tyler Falk and Digital Editor Mike Janssen. 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. 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 . 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. A graduate of Bellarmine University, he was named to the Bellarmine University Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2010. Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. He is passionate about NPR's public service mission and the role of a free and independent media in a strong democracy. Lansing: I guess my head turns first to the journalism of our member stations. Current: Why are NPR and its partners looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app? 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. But now were seeing authoritarian regimes expanding around the globe, with media repression in places like Turkey and Venezuela, Cambodia and Vietnam.. For two years, he served as the president and CEO of a cable trade group called the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing. The roots of the VOA involved providing truthful reports to people under Nazi and Axis power rule during World War Two. It might come from my journalistic roots, and I think other journalists would say the same thing, I deal [with] and honor the truth. NPR has tapped longtime media executive John Lansing to become its next president and CEO. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. 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. 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. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. 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 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. "We managed to get through that year, tough as it was, and to end the year break even," Mr. Lansing said. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. 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. 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. 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. In recent remarks online, Johnson, who is Black, focused on a more competitive landscape for NPR journalists, including people of color. 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. Put that pizza box in the trash. 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 "He is 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. 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: SAG-AFTRA came out with their letter around our September board meeting in 2020. She really has helped us, and she's brought discipline to a process that in the past might have been people talking past each other a little bit and waiting for things to blow over. "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. Since then, sponsorship revenue has returned, Mr. Lansing said, and NPR was able to navigate the pandemic without cutting staff. When will that freeze be lifted? Lansing also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. Were working with member stations on topic teams for, say, political reporting or criminal justice reporting across the system. Mr. Mohn led the push into podcasting and helped stabilize the organization after years of management turnover and budget deficits. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. John F. Lansing joined USAGM as CEO and Director in September 2015. We established the top priority [a.k.a. And our work began then. 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