I think you have to be willing to take hard questions. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. NPR's search for a new CEO is finally over! I can't speak for other people, CEOs. We established the top priority [a.k.a. So I would tell my younger self to be confident, calm down, it's all gonna work out. How has that effort been progressing? It didnt begin in the summer it accelerated in the summer. 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. He will be the 11th permanent president or chief executive in the radio network's nearly 50-year history. Current: NPR has helped stations during the pandemic by delaying planned changes to the dues they pay. 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. Follow Bloomberg reporters as they uncover some of the biggest financial crimes of the modern era. And as a CEO, and also as a white man, I want to know, how did you handle it when all eyes were on you? Michael was a senior marketing executive at Scripps for Food Network and HGTV and really brings a lot of media marketing expertise. Pozen Fellow At the Shorenstein Center. 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Current: Is there a timeline for that process? Your email address will not be published. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. I think there are interesting trends to follow and try to understand. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. "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. NPR's chief executive announced the network would lay off roughly 10% of its . This documentary-style series follows investigative journalists as they uncover the truth. hide caption. It might come from my journalistic roots, and I think other journalists would say the same thing, I deal [with] and honor the truth. It began to improve a little bit as we moved into August and September, as corporate sponsorships began to recover a little bit. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans everydayon the air, online, and in person. 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. 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? Were finishing up in the next two to three weeks the specific lists of actions and activities under these pillars. We can share resources and story ideas, and we can help organize and support those efforts. Theres no question about it. 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 . 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. When you first got to NPR, what did you think? 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. Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. 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. I, and the management team, all of us, we determined that was going to be a priority for the year 2021. Current: NPRs budget also took a hit because of the pandemic. "We're not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market," Lansing says in an interview. 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. Mr. Mohn was pressed about his leadership in a tense NPR interview and later apologized to employees for not taking action sooner. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally. 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. We couldnt be more proud of the quality and the depth of the journalism thats coming from the member stations, and it really has strengthened the entire system enormously. We are different from other federal agencies, said Grant K. Turner, the agencys chief financial officer. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. We are not just putting out regulations or policies and paperwork. ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. All rights reserved. If you had to create a podcast, what would it be about? 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. We've made some good forward progress around hiring, with requiring that our hiring panels be diverse, requiring that our finalists have diverse representation at a minimum, but of course there's no maximum, in terms of a list of finalists. Fearing a tepid economy, Lansing and his corporate team projected that revenue would stay flat for the fiscal year that began October 1. When will that freeze be lifted? People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. Copyright 2023. Scripps Company, where he managed the company's portfolio of ten broadcast television stations across the country. In a memo to. National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . 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. So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. Scripps Networks September 5, 2019; Washington, D.C. - The NPR Board of Directors announced today that it. Age: 62, Born on July 31, 1957, in Minneapolis Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. We still remain one of the top, if not the top, podcasters in America. I just started in May. After becoming part of Warner Bros. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. And some stations who had a schedule to go down actually were allowed to go down. Fear drives their path. 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's total workforce has grown by about 50 percent since before that crisis. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. 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. Mohn led NPR through five consecutive years of audience growth and budget surplus. hide caption. Current (https://current.org/2021/02/ceo-john-lansing-discusses-nprs-diversity-efforts-budget-deficit-and-growing-podcast-competition/). Learn more at npr.org/about or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Lansing, who is . Mr. Lansing, who began his career as a teenage cameraman at a television station in Kentucky, spent two decades at Scripps Networks. And I had a lot of interest in how my former team was being treated, but more importantly, just as an American citizen, how the work of USAGM through VOA [Voice of America] and RFE/RL [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] was threatening to undermine the interests of the United States government by politicizing journalism that was meant by law to be free of political interference. Video Snippet Disclosure: This story was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik under guidance from NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi. Tech companies that also rely heavily on advertising are undergoing layoffs too. Podtrac, which measures the audiences of podcast publishers, has consistently placed NPR at the top of its monthly rankings. He was responsible for strategic and operational oversight and P&L of the $2.5 billion division of Scripps Networks Interactive, including the company's portfolio of six cable networks Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country and the $100 million Scripps Networks Digital division. There were three of them, each for $1 million. I was very pleased to see Code Switch named as Apples top podcast of the year. 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. Essentially, the success of the company falls in your hands. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. 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. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. And were happy to see SAG-AFTRA agree with us and to join up. In recent remarks online, Johnson, who is Black, focused on a more competitive landscape for NPR journalists, including people of color. So sad to me. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion. 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. But were going to continue to follow up on that going into this year. I think you have to be in front of your teams. 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. 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. 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. I think as a white man, I know and have experienced that feeling of trepidation on discussions on issues of race, because there's an inherent fear that somebody is going to have a negative point of view about you. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.". During the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, NPR was at risk of laying off staff when sponsors canceled their spots on the network, said John Lansing, NPR's chief executive. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have announced more than 50,000 job cuts combined in just the past few months. 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. 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. Share Your Design Ideas, New JerseysMurphy Defends $10 Billion Rainy Day Fund as States Economy Slows, What Led to Europes Deadliest Train Crash in a Decade, This Week in Crypto: Ukraine War, Marathon Digital, FTX. 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 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. 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. The layoffs are in keeping with an increasingly grim landscape for media companies over recent months. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan When you first got to NPR, what did you think? NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. What do you think are some characteristics of good leadership? 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. I established DEI as our top priority on Jan. 5 of 2020. Current: Did anything else stand out to you in that survey that you believe needed attention and needs attention? Oh wait. 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. The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. What was it like for you to watch that happen? NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. And probably the most important accountability is that, first of all, I hold myself accountable with my goals that I report to the board. Lansing: We hope to have that completed within about eight to 10 weeks. "When we say we are eliminating filled positions, we are talking about our colleagues - people whose skills, spirit and talents help make NPR what it is today," Lansing wrote in a memo to staff today. Today, we feature John Lansing, CEO of NPR. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/npr-john-lansing.html. Being a changemaker is awesome, but can have its own challenges as you're just trying to improve your career. He served on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees from 2010-2016 and was vice-chair 2014-2016. How cool is it to be at NPR? (Former long time member). Weve seen a gradual comeback. According to Nielsen data supplied by NPR, its programs and newscasts had an overall audience of 27.4 million in spring 2019. And be a good listener. Current. 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. Now Lansing says he wants to draw on the intellectual and creative impulses of his new staffers as he leads a domestic journalistic powerhouse with an international reputation and reach. Were working with them to create regional newsrooms in Texas and California and the Midwest and in the Gulf. 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 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. I think there's an awareness, like in the way you asked the question about 'our North Star.' We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. Required fields are marked *. I would enjoy being on a podcast talking about politics. "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. Lansing: Were still working on it right now. What would you go back and tell your younger self? Its a real business with real market dynamics.. And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. Board Member. Listeners consider public radio an enriching and enlightening companion; they trust NPR as a daily source of unbiased independent news, and inspiring insights on life and the arts. 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. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. And so in late 2019 we began working on a set of priorities for the calendar year 2020 that included promoting Keith Woods to chief diversity officer; putting more energy behind our effort to have 100% sourcing and notating the diversity of our sources; and hiring, leadership, unconscious bias training, et cetera. I'm sure that's true even today. "This will be a major loss.". 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. 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 thats our commitment. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. "And we finally got to the point where there was nothing really that we could cut big enough to fill a hole like that.". At the same time, we have to think creatively. Last fall, when announcing the earlier cuts, Lansing said the network would have to make tough choices - and to "do less with less." I had no idea what was out there. Experts say the behavior could have constituted insider trading. 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. It was a reckoning for all of us together collectively at NPR. 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. 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. John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. 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.". During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. It was hard for everyone. Or 'How are we doing on the North Star?' The various challenges everybody's having from working at home, for example, you realize that everybody's situation is different when you're working. And as the year unfolded, we began to develop our three-year strategic plan. 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. "Bloomberg Opinion" columnists offer their opinions on issues in the news. The other is the fight for donors. Vox Media cut jobs by 7%; Gannett and Spotify by 6%. 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. 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. Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. He guided the organization in becoming a leading developer of unique content across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. Every time I hear it, I think that's a success by itself because we all have that as our guiding light. Prior to that, Lansing was VP and GM of Scripps ABC affiliates. Current: You came to NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. 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. During the Donald Trump administration, he held roles in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was acting Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Community Planning and Development. 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. After Lansing hopped over to NPR from USAGM in 2019, NPR had to be prompted by outside critics to include disclaimers on its USAGM/VOA stories to note Lansings past USAGM role. In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging.
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