I think you have to be in front of your teams. The layoffs are in keeping with an increasingly grim landscape for media companies over recent months. 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. We have many miles to go. But were going to continue to follow up on that going into this year. He guided the organization in becoming a leading developer of unique content across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms. Did you plan for this or did it kind of just happen? I, and the management team, all of us, we determined that was going to be a priority for the year 2021. People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. 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. Networks like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are meant to counter disinformation from foreign governments by broadcasting objective reports, although they have always been dogged by an accusation that they are a form of American propaganda. In a memo to. I am still morning the loss of an objective NPR. "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. 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. 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. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? Yet the tech and media industries' prospects stand at odds with a tight labor market and low unemployment more broadly. They lost their objectivity and are now just pushing leftist ideology. New podcasts Up First, Consider This and State of Ukraine sit on both sides. In 2017, Michael Oreskes, NPRs senior vice president for news, left after two women accused him of unwanted physical advances in the 1990s, when he was the Washington bureau chief of The New York Times. I'm just passionate about how good leadership can lead to good outcomes, and that led me here. I established DEI as our top priority on Jan. 5 of 2020. Current. Scripps Company, where he managed the company's portfolio of ten broadcast television stations across the country. Our DEI efforts at the beginning of 2020 were not a project or an extracurricular activity; it really became our work. 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 . 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. Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. Fearing a tepid economy, Lansing and his corporate team projected that revenue would stay flat for the fiscal year that began October 1. What makes you so open and vocal about the need for diversity? Lansing: They were for general. Your email address will not be published. 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 broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. CEO John Lansing says ad revenue for podcasting shriveled even as general economy seems on mend. Last fall, when announcing the earlier cuts, Lansing said the network would have to make tough choices - and to "do less with less." 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. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? There are over 1000 NPR Member Station signals broadcasting across the United States 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. How has that effort been progressing? 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. My top goal is to support the women of color at NPR so that they feel like they have more upward mobility.. 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. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. Lansing: You have to imagine a picture, if you will. Lansing, who is 62, is. 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. John Lansing is taking over for outgoing CEO Jarl Mohn, who has led the organization for . The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. (Former long time member). Lansing says even that proved overly optimistic. Oh wait. 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. Michael was a senior marketing executive at Scripps for Food Network and HGTV and really brings a lot of media marketing expertise. For several years, it eliminated salary increases and suspended retirement contributions. 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. While serving as chief operating officer, she took on a greater role during two of Mohn's medical leaves and in the aftermath of the sexual harassment scandal. 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. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. 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. The work of those pillars will be done through the lens of improving our efforts on DEI. 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. It puts a filter on that helps us explain even unpopular decisions, how they link to our mission. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The roots of the VOA involved providing truthful reports to people under Nazi and Axis power rule during World War II. Everybody at NPR knows exactly what you mean when you say, 'What's our North Star?' While they do not broadcast within the U.S., the Voice of America and the other media outfits Lansing has overseen typically adhere to traditional concepts of factual, nonideological journalism, with the frequent exception of Radio Mart historically an anti-Castro and anti-Cuban communist outlet. The first pillar is to expand the power of the national-local partnership into the on-demand future. 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? Dear NPR President John Lansing, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the powerful letter you wrote to NPR staff and the public about the horrific extrajudicial killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Current: When was the climate survey conducted? 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. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? NPR is funded by the CPB/PBS which are funded in part by the U.S. government. "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. This is simply disingenuous. A review by the House Foreign Affairs Committee faulted the agency for insufficient oversight but noted that an internal task force was already having an impact. In an interview, Mr. Lansing called the ads a rogue incident and said it had been corrected. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/npr-john-lansing.html. It really stretched me to understand that flexibility is a good thing. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have announced more than 50,000 job cuts combined in just the past few months. 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. NPR, the public radio giant that employs hundreds of journalists, is about to get a new chief executive. 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. At the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Lansing championed a free press even as leaders of many nations move against it. 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. I think there's an awareness, like in the way you asked the question about 'our North Star.' "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. Its a real business with real market dynamics.. The ratings have tanked because all they talk about is race. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. 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. Weve also seen very positive upticks in development. Mr. Lansing will start in October, replacing Jarl Mohn, who has run NPR since 2014. John Gibbs is an American far-right political commentator and politician. If you had to create a podcast, what would it be about? In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. NPR Press Release. He is passionate about NPR's public service mission and the role of a free and independent media in a strong democracy. "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. 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. It is our work. 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: Back in May and June, it was an alarming decline in radio ratings. David Westin speaks with top names in finance about the week's biggest issues on Wall Street. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot.. Essentially, the success of the company falls in your hands. 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. Live from. administration regarding the now former managers of his former place of employment (USAGM) but claims the mantle of private citizen to do so. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally. Current (https://current.org/2021/02/ceo-john-lansing-discusses-nprs-diversity-efforts-budget-deficit-and-growing-podcast-competition/). 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. Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. 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 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. He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a nongovernmental broadcaster. "Jarl would be the first to say that it is the area where he feels that his work was not complete," Sheikholeslami said. It was hard for everyone. But we made a firm commitment, as you know, to freeze station dues and fees. 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. Weve seen a gradual comeback. 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. So sad to me. That's the way I think about leadership here. Applicants to this years fellowship see its cancellation as a setback for journalists of color who want to work in public radio. NPR Facebook Post with Comments. Discovery, CNN cut hundreds of jobs and killed off its brand-new streaming service, CNN+. John Lansing, NPR's President and CEO, defended Kelly last weekend during an interview on NPR's All Things Considered program, saying that Kelley "is one of the most respected, truthful . Learn more at npr.org/about or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Lansing: Thats a great question. What would you go back and tell your younger self? We are different from other federal agencies, said Grant K. Turner, the agencys chief financial officer. And some stations who had a schedule to go down actually were allowed to go down. Will there be another stimulus? The budget for the new fiscal year is set below last years actual based on our forecasts on continued downward pressure on corporate sponsorship. I got this part time job at a TV station to make a little money while I was going to college. So that would be mine. 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. So at the end of the day, its a commitment, but this also has to be accountability. What steps does NPR still need to take in this area? He is. National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . 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.