And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. So were now into the new fiscal year. 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 . I just started in May. Lansing: Lets go back in time. 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. Lansing says he remains committed to podcasting "1,000 percent," as well as the network's hallmark news magazines, such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. What is the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year? So sad to me. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. 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. People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. 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. In recent remarks online, Johnson, who is Black, focused on a more competitive landscape for NPR journalists, including people of color. And were happy to see SAG-AFTRA agree with us and to join up. 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 has previously announced he would be staying on as president emeritus to help the network raise major gifts, and along with his wife, Pamela Mohn, he personally committed $10 million to the network. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. 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. Our DEI efforts at the beginning of 2020 were not a project or an extracurricular activity; it really became our work. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. NPR has a new CEO. John F. Lansing : NPR But here, Lansing basically jumps over those disclaimers using the lame attribution of private citizen.. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. Mohn led NPR through five consecutive years of audience growth and budget surplus. 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. NPR has tapped longtime media executive John Lansing to become its next president and CEO. A member of the Republican Party, Gibbs was a software engineer and missionary before entering politics. 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. Yet the tech and media industries' prospects stand at odds with a tight labor market and low unemployment more broadly. It is our work our North Star and our work are the same thing. Way back when, I was a news cameraman. John Lansing testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee in July. And weve seen some significant success with that. But second, we're mission-driven, and I think everybody in the organization lives and breathes that mission. NPR has also been the nation's leading producer of podcasts since Podtrac started measuring audiences. We discovered in our most recent climate survey that that was an area that we needed to put more effort into. We are different from other federal agencies, said Grant K. Turner, the agencys chief financial officer. Lansing's tenure at the agency has not been without controversy. Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlansing. John Lansing - Quick Profile. 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. 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. Disclosure: This story was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik under guidance from NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi. NPR's programming division, which produces its industry-leading podcasts, has more than doubled since 2019. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have announced more than 50,000 job cuts combined in just the past few months. Mr. Lansing rejected that accusation, saying that the agency was independent by law. But thats our commitment. When will that freeze be lifted? Discovery, CNN cut hundreds of jobs and killed off its brand-new streaming service, CNN+. The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, eliminated its Sunday magazine and a handful of other jobs. (On NPR's radio side, advertising takes the form of underwriting, as corporate sponsors are not permitted to call for listeners to purchase goods or services.). Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. CEO John Lansing says ad revenue for podcasting shriveled even as general economy seems on mend. 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 there are interesting trends to follow and try to understand. 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. Mr. Mohn was pressed about his leadership in a tense NPR interview and later apologized to employees for not taking action sooner. 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. 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. There's always going to be things here and there that have to be worked out, because that's just the way a company is, but I've never been in a company before where it was so understood that we're here to serve the American people. Oh wait. It was about a $3 million cost to NPR for the fiscal year. Lansing says even that proved overly optimistic. Pompeo Interview Dispute With NPR Sends Conflicting Message on - VOA So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. 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. 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. So those are the four pillars that rotate around the centerpiece, we call it the North Star, of our commitment to DEI. NPR Layoffs: Radio and Podcaster Will Cut 10% of Workforce - The But also, what are the larger things that are happening? 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. "We were doing everything we could against the tide and couldn't keep clipping our costs as the revenue kept slipping," Lansing says. They lost their objectivity and are now just pushing leftist ideology. In these comments, John Lansing slides by with a public swipe at the Trump Pozen Fellow At the Shorenstein Center. Required fields are marked *. 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. "I have been an avid fan of NPR for many years. John Lansing , CEO of NPR NPR President John Lansing '09 is Bellarmine's 2021 commencement speaker, Honorary Degree recipient April 22, 2021 NPR P. "Nothing is nailed down yet except the principles and what we know we have to reach.". How cool is it to be at NPR? So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' Arcbazar.com. Our third pillar is to optimize content and meet audiences where they are. 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, the public radio and podcasting giant, has a new leader after years of growth and internal turmoil. Lansing also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. We can share resources and story ideas, and we can help organize and support those efforts. Not exactly. I, and the management team, all of us, we determined that was going to be a priority for the year 2021. And its where our focus needs to be right now. 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. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions, Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. Mohn will continue on as President Emeritus & Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary Campaign. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. "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. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? He was previously head of cable TV company Scripps Networks, where he sold $10 million in stock after the company became the target of an SEC probe that was not known to the public. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. 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. John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speak to reporters as they depart the Senate Democrat policy luncheon at the Capitol on March 2. He won praise for doing so and says he informed leaders of SAG-AFTRA on Tuesday about the impending job cuts. 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? NPR's president of operations, Loren Mayor, was the leading internal candidate for the chief executive position. Mr. Lansing will start in October, replacing Jarl Mohn, who has run NPR since 2014. I think that's where we all wind up. John Lansing '09, former Scripps executive, is new CEO of NPR 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 network's fight for listeners' time has become more feverish. hide caption. Lansing: SAG-AFTRA came out with their letter around our September board meeting in 2020. NPR hosts' departures fuel questions over race. The full story is 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. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, Within a few weeks, Lansing became convinced that projection would be unreachable. We have many miles to go. "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? 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. Since then,. I'm from Minneapolis, and my parents are buried about six blocks from where George Floyd was killed. 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. And some stations who had a schedule to go down actually were allowed to go down. He joined NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Current: You came to NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. John Gibbs (government official) - Wikipedia "Management is about committing to strategy, making tough decisions.". US Media Propaganda. Drawing "Liberals" and "Leftists" into the CIA's Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly. Anyone can read what you share. NPR plans to lay off about 10% of its current staff due to the soft ad market and a drop in revenue from corporate sponsors, as well as uncertainties in the global economy overall. I think we're moving forward. 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. Scripps Co., says whenever an economic slowdown appears imminent, marketing budgets get slashed. I had been gone for the better part of a year or so. Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. I think leaders are accountable for walking the walk, for doing what they say they're going to do. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/npr-john-lansing.html. Scripps Networks Harvard Kennedy School. And our work began then. You hear me say fairly often it's not a thing that's going to end; it's really a new way of operating with an awareness of this weakness that we need to address and build upon and ensure that it lives on and continues to improve. 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. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. This is just dishonest, especially since NPR became what amounted to a voice of the opposition in its coverage of this dysfunctional federal agency. In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. 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. John Lansing, a media executive with government broadcast and cable television experience, has been named by NPRs board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn who announced the plan to step down after his 5-Year term ended. NPR Names Veteran Media Executive John Lansing As Its New CEO Being selective, having mentors both white and people of color mentors that you can have confidential conversations with and gain some thoughts to help you develop your strategy, standing up for yourself which essentially is what happened at NPR through the climate survey and holding leaders accountable for everything. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a nongovernmental broadcaster. For several years, it eliminated salary increases and suspended retirement contributions. He took over a troubled organization beset by infighting and bureaucratic inefficiency. 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. Under his leadership NPR has been reaching new audiences as the country's top podcast publisher and through platforms like smart-speakers and connected cars. 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. So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. 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. How cool is it to be at. Lansing previously held positions overseeing the Scripps Co.'s local television stations and then its national cable channels, which include the Food Network and HGTV, among others. 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.". ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. Video Snippet Lansing, who is 62, is. What makes you so open and vocal about the need for diversity? Who is the NPR CEO? John Lansing Profile - Public Media Now John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. Live from. So at the end of the day, its a commitment, but this also has to be accountability. Copyright 2023.