He is. 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. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. Board Member. 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 ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot. 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. Here's what to do in a worst case scenario. Let's say, I was walking out of high school into college, I had no idea what I was going to do. 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. "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. We still remain one of the top, if not the top, podcasters in America. I'm from Minneapolis, and my parents are buried about six blocks from where George Floyd was killed. 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. Mr. Lansing, who began his career as a teenage cameraman at a television station in Kentucky, spent two decades at Scripps Networks. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. 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. 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. NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. Or 'How are we doing on the North Star?' Who is the NPR CEO? John Lansing Profile - Public Media Now He joined NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. All rights reserved. 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. "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. At Colorado Public Radio, I think there was a $300,000 donation that came out of that. John Gibbs is an American far-right political commentator and politician. 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.". Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, eliminated its Sunday magazine and a handful of other jobs. 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. He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. Lansing: When I came in in 2019, my earliest observation was that our biggest issue was the lack of diversity in our audience, and I felt that we needed to double down our efforts in DEI throughout our organization in order to fulfill the promise to reflect the entire American public in terms of what America looks like. 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. 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. Current: How much were those anonymous gifts? 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. So sad to me. 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. CEO John Lansing discusses NPR's diversity efforts, budget - Current NPR's search for a new CEO is finally over! All of those underlying effects generally lead to whatever effects were going to have in corporate sponsorship. Way back when, I was a news cameraman. NPR's Incoming Chief Dumped $10M In Stock Amid SEC Probe While At Prior I thought, wow. It was a reckoning for all of us together collectively at NPR. But were going to continue to follow up on that going into this year. Were finishing up in the next two to three weeks the specific lists of actions and activities under these pillars. NPR National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . NPR's John Lansing Discusses the Importance of Integrity in Journalism By Nicole Jones - October 30, 2020 0 463 NPR National President and CEO John Lansing joined the Belmont community for a conversation about integrity in journalism, highlighting its importance especially during an election year. 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 also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. President Biden will allow Congress to overturn new D.C. crime law But here, Lansing basically jumps over those disclaimers using the lame attribution of private citizen.. This is essentially the DEI work writ large, but also our culture of respect, safety, upward mobility, training and making NPR a world-class organization for which to work. 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. 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 . advanced degree - political agility. When you first got to NPR, what did you think? 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. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. It shouldn't be on any journalists of color, or anybody of color, to have to go and 'solve this problem' in somebody's company. 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. America needs public radio more than ever. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, 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 . Fearing a tepid economy, Lansing and his corporate team projected that revenue would stay flat for the fiscal year that began October 1. NPR announces layoffs, cutting jobs by 10% as ad revenue drops : NPR NPR's total workforce has grown by about 50 percent since before that crisis. 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? Its not a sidebar. There was one the year before I was here, then this was the follow-up. Lansing, who is 62, is. And our work began then. Yet the tech and media industries' prospects stand at odds with a tight labor market and low unemployment more broadly. 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 says ad revenue for podcasting shriveled even as general economy seems on mend. 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. So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. Apple is reportedly building a podcast subscription service. As we got to April of last spring, we saw a massive deficit develop for NPR on the order of about $25 million. Lansing: We arent in a position to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic is going to subside. 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. NPR maintains 17 national bureaus and 17 bureaus abroad. 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. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. 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. Its an inclusive process. CEO John Lansing discusses NPRs diversity efforts, budget deficit and growing podcast competition. 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. Last summer, we definitely had a racial reckoning. I just started in May. Last year, the network booked $134 million in such corporate underwriting, a record built on strong growth in podcasting revenue in recent years. I can't speak for other people, CEOs. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. 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. Your email address will not be published. At the same time, we have to think creatively. Lansing: Its on social media platforms or YouTube or through media partnerships. Lansing will start in his new position in mid-October. Oh wait. 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. Lansing: Back in May and June, it was an alarming decline in radio ratings. The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. What is the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year? 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. At the center of a graphic is our commitment to DEI, and all of our work in that circle is surrounded by four pillars. It puts a filter on that helps us explain even unpopular decisions, how they link to our mission. But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? It was hard for everyone. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? Follow Bloomberg reporters as they uncover some of the biggest financial crimes of the modern era. But thats our commitment. Mohn will continue on as President Emeritus & Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary Campaign. And be a good listener. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions, Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. I'm just passionate about how good leadership can lead to good outcomes, and that led me here. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. And were happy to see SAG-AFTRA agree with us and to join up. Current. But we made a firm commitment, as you know, to freeze station dues and fees. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. NPR Names Veteran Media Executive John Lansing As Its New CEO 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. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images 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. "This will be a major loss.". Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. That said, Mohn set higher annual expectations for the network in fundraising and agreed to be co-chairman of its 50th-anniversary capital campaign. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. "Your mobility becomes extremely important to be involved and connected to audiences that are mobile and that tend to be, frankly, younger and, as we think of it at USAGM, future leaders, who can influence the rise of free and open societies.". What makes you so open and vocal about the need for diversity? Current: What challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans? He promises NPR will build on its mission and values but adds, ""This will be a major loss." My story: npr.org NPR says it's cutting jobs by 10% as ad revenue drops As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. Will there be another stimulus? Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly. Current: How else might NPR assist stations in the coming year? Current: Do you have any examples of how digital operations would be integrated into divisions throughout the organization? "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. 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. Inquiry Exonerates USAGM Executives Suspended By Trump Appointee - NPR 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. How are you working to shore up NPRs place in the podcasting landscape and compete with deep-pocketed tech companies? And some stations who had a schedule to go down actually were allowed to go down. NPR Names Veteran Media Executive John Lansing As Its New CEO That with a combination of expense cuts, including our employees and our management all taking voluntary pay cuts and benefit cuts, helped close that deficit gap. Current: NPR and a group of stations started a pilot project around collaborative fundraising in 2019. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. He began his career in media at age 17 when he was hired as a studio technician and cameraman for WPSD TV in Kentucky. John F. Lansing : NPR "I want to hear the ideas that are bubbling underneath right now and what people are excited about, what they're looking forward to developing," Lansing said Thursday. This documentary-style series follows investigative journalists as they uncover the truth. My top goal is to support the women of color at NPR so that they feel like they have more upward mobility.. Mr. Mohn led the push into podcasting and helped stabilize the organization after years of management turnover and budget deficits. Lansing: I guess I would comment just as a citizen watching from outside. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. Current: What are some of the highlights of that strategic plan? John Lansing - Quick Profile. Live from. He also vowed to make sure job cuts do not fall disproportionately on employees of color. NPR has also been the nation's leading producer of podcasts since Podtrac started measuring audiences. Their editorial independence is enshrined in federal law, though it sometimes came under attack. Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. John F Lansing, National Public Radio Inc: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Live Now Bloomberg TV+ Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East. "However, when you think how we look out longer term, right, not just for 20 years, but several years out, it's really about building a sustainable financial future for NPR.". Not exactly. NPR Names Veteran Media Executive John Lansing As Its New CEO Lansing: Lets go back in time. So we took that very, very seriously. 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. It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. How cool is it to be at NPR? 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. And Im holding myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports accountable to me. 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. How do you think that the North Star, the strategic initiative, is going? NPR Names Juana Summers as Co-Host of 'All Things Considered' Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlansing. administration regarding the now former managers of his former place of employment (USAGM) but claims the mantle of private citizen to do so. You can't escape that. 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. Lansing: Were still working on it right now. Ever since you started, you've been very vocal about it. It's not an extracurricular activity; it's fundamental to our business. 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. And its where our focus needs to be right now. I had no idea what was out there. I think that's where we all wind up. How has that effort been progressing? 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. And were pleased to work with them. NPR Cuts Executive Pay as Corporate Sponsors' Payments Fall Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. John F Lansing, National Public Radio Inc: Profile and Biography "We're not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market," Lansing says in an interview. 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. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. And for those stations that were scheduled to have a reduction, we allowed those reductions to go forward with a floor of 3% so that nobodys dues went up. A member of the Republican Party, Gibbs was a software engineer and missionary before entering politics. Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging. It was about a $3 million cost to NPR for the fiscal year. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan 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.