"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. I had been gone for the better part of a year or so. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. 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. ", "I am thrilled to work with NPR's exceptional management team, staff and journalists," said Lansing. 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? Scripps Networks September 5, 2019; Washington, D.C. - The NPR Board of Directors announced today that it. Live from. Just be tuned into our folks. Lansing: They were for general. . It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. 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. I think there are interesting trends to follow and try to understand. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.". NPR is funded by the CPB/PBS which are funded in part by the U.S. government. 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. Lansing, who is 62, is currently the chief executive of the government agency that oversees Voice of America, Radio and Television Mart and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, among others. How cool is it to be at. Current: Companies like Spotify and Amazon have been pouring big money into podcasting. Experts say the behavior could have constituted insider trading. John Lansing is taking over for outgoing CEO Jarl Mohn, who has led the organization for . 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. 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. 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? It puts a filter on that helps us explain even unpopular decisions, how they link to our mission. 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. In a memo to. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? (Former long time member). As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. 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. Now with the magazine shows on weekdays were about 20% behind last year, which is a significant improvement over where we were about eight months ago. As I said, its hiring, its emphasis on diversity in leadership, diversity in sources, diversity in voices, diversity in the stories we tell, training around our organization. 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. 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. "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. 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. 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. So mentally, how do you manage that? Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlansing. Current: What are some of the highlights of that strategic plan? He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. I am still morning the loss of an objective NPR. 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. Lansing, who is . Courtesy of Allison Shelley for NPR. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. When you first got to NPR, what did you think? NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions, Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. And its where our focus needs to be right now. 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. Current: NPR and a group of stations started a pilot project around collaborative fundraising in 2019. Yet Mr. Mohns tenure was also marked by a sexual harassment scandal involving a senior news executive whom he had hired and a labor clash with hundreds of union workers. Copyright 2023. And theyre all expected to articulate a DEI goal thats measurable, actionable, and that they can be held accountable for and will be. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have announced more than 50,000 job cuts combined in just the past few months. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 And were happy to see SAG-AFTRA agree with us and to join up. So I would tell my younger self to be confident, calm down, it's all gonna work out. 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. Will there be another stimulus? 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. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. Lansing also spoke to Current about the challenges of implementing his DEI plans, the organizations financial outlook and his thoughts about the recent controversies at USAGM. 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. Current: You recently made some changes to NPRs digital strategy by moving to integrate digital operations into divisions throughout the organization.This also includes eliminating the role of chief digital officer held by Thomas Hjelm at the end of February. I just started in May. Current: NPR has helped stations during the pandemic by delaying planned changes to the dues they pay. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, Michael was a senior marketing executive at Scripps for Food Network and HGTV and really brings a lot of media marketing expertise. Prior to that, Lansing was VP and GM of Scripps ABC affiliates. Sometimes you have to hear other people's truth and accept it for what it is, not translate it into your truth, therefore it's no longer what it is. 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. NPR has a new CEO. And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. I can't speak for other people, CEOs. hide caption. Current (https://current.org/2021/02/ceo-john-lansing-discusses-nprs-diversity-efforts-budget-deficit-and-growing-podcast-competition/). Weve seen significant growth in Code Switch, in Louder Than a Riot, in Sam Sanders podcast [Its Been a Minute], in part because for the first time in a while, were really investing in marketing support for those podcasts. 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 guess my head turns first to the journalism of our member stations. Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. So its a constant commitment to communication, to training, to accountability. John Lansing, CEO, photographed for NPR, 22 January 2020, in Washington DC. 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. And as the year unfolded, we began to develop our three-year strategic plan. 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 The other is the fight for donors. 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. In recent remarks online, Johnson, who is Black, focused on a more competitive landscape for NPR journalists, including people of color. Here's what to do in a worst case scenario. 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. Today, we feature John Lansing, CEO of NPR. Weve had a couple of significant anonymous gifts that have helped shore up our forecast for the coming fiscal year. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan When you first got to NPR, what did you think? NPRs search for a new CEO is finally over! 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. 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. 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. How are you working to shore up NPRs place in the podcasting landscape and compete with deep-pocketed tech companies? 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. advanced degree - political agility. Lansing will begin his term at NPR in October and will succeed Jarl Mohn, who has been Chief Executive Officer and President since 2014. 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. Lansing: Thats a great question. Last summer, we definitely had a racial reckoning. 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. An NPR spokeswoman said final decisions on which jobs will be eliminated should occur by the week of March 20. It was about a $3 million cost to NPR for the fiscal year. 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. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. Board Memberships & Affiliations. I got this part time job at a TV station to make a little money while I was going to college. A member of the Republican Party, Gibbs was a software engineer and missionary before entering politics. So that would be mine. After becoming part of Warner Bros. 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. I established DEI as our top priority on Jan. 5 of 2020. 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. Scripps Co., says whenever an economic slowdown appears imminent, marketing budgets get slashed. How is it a priority? NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans everydayon the air, online, and in person. "When I think of NPR and I think of the member stations collectively, I think really of journalism as a public service, not tied to a profit motive," Lansing told NPR News. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. There was one the year before I was here, then this was the follow-up. "Management is about committing to strategy, making tough decisions.". Lansing: Back in May and June, it was an alarming decline in radio ratings. 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. In May 2020, four NPR female hosts of color Garcia-Navarro, King, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang and Weekend All Things Considered host Michel Martin sent a letter to Lansing . Now, he says, it must drum up more creative income sources, like the licensing of the popular show How I Built This to Amazon's streaming services, which he says generates $8 million annually. Lansing served for ten years as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. 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. And its tied to the same variables you would know yourselves, which is, how fast can the vaccines be deployed? NPR takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. 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. And the work goes on. The roots of the VOA involved providing truthful reports to people under Nazi and Axis power rule during World War II. He guided the organization in becoming a leading developer of unique content across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms. Current: You came to NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. 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. For two years, he served as the president and CEO of a cable trade group called the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally. Government support for the public radio system isn't in any immediate jeopardy. What steps does NPR still need to take in this area? There were three of them, each for $1 million. "I don't anticipate that it would be like a haircut across every division, because that's just not management," Lansing says. At Colorado Public Radio, I think there was a $300,000 donation that came out of that. People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. I would enjoy being on a podcast talking about politics. 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: When was the climate survey conducted? 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. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. September 6, 2019. NPR has a new CEO. Or persons of color who are in our organization that are hearing [about] a lot of activity but arent experiencing what they believe they should be experiencing in terms of a workplace where they feel like they can grow and improve their work and improve their careers. I'm from Minneapolis, and my parents are buried about six blocks from where George Floyd was killed. I'm just passionate about how good leadership can lead to good outcomes, and that led me here. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. 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. Lansing has earned an advanced degree in political agility. 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. If you had to create a podcast, what would it be about? I think leaders are accountable for walking the walk, for doing what they say they're going to do. And our work began then. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. 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. The layoffs are in keeping with an increasingly grim landscape for media companies over recent months. But second, we're mission-driven, and I think everybody in the organization lives and breathes that mission. We are different from other federal agencies, said Grant K. Turner, the agencys chief financial officer. He began his career in media at age 17 when he was hired as a studio technician and cameraman for WPSD TV in Kentucky. hide caption. U.S. Agency for Global Media Required fields are marked *. That's the way I think about leadership here. We'd like to revisit a story that first broke yesterday and . Our DEI efforts at the beginning of 2020 were not a project or an extracurricular activity; it really became our work. Oh wait. The staffing cut, which will cost at least 100 people their jobs, comes in response to the "erosion" of advertising revenue, particularly for the network's podcasts, NPR reported. A number of executives will report directly to Lansing, including Nancy Barnes, senior vice president for news and editorial director, who joined NPR last November and oversees the network's newsroom. CEO John Lansing discusses NPRs diversity efforts, budget deficit and growing podcast competition. So we took that very, very seriously. 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. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. He soon made DEI the top priority at NPR. The work of those pillars will be done through the lens of improving our efforts on DEI. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. 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. In late November, the network announced $20 million in cuts, including a near-freeze on hiring, elimination of most travel, and suspension of internships. 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. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. 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. Lansing said he took pride in maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences, reaching about 25% more people each week. 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. 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. That content executive position has not yet been filled; its creation led to the departure of then-NPR chief news executive Nancy Barnes. 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. 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. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. Lansing: Its on social media platforms or YouTube or through media partnerships. 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And so that was the way I looked at the future for me. 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. 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. Talk about a force of nature. "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 Forum. Current. Current: NPRs budget also took a hit because of the pandemic. 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. He will now lead the nation's top audio producer and broadcaster. Four years ago, Lansing was named by President Barack Obama to be the first chief executive of the broadcasting outfit that was renamed the U.S. Agency for Global Media. John Lansing will begin his term as President and CEO of NPR in October, 2019. But we felt like it was an important investment to make in our member stations to support them during the pandemic. There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. 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. A new chief content officer will oversee NPR's news and programming divisions, which have frequently collaborated and almost as frequently clashed over resources and . Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. CEO John Lansing says ad revenue for podcasting shriveled even as general economy seems on mend. So sad to me. At the same time, we have to think creatively. NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. "We were doing everything we could against the tide and couldn't keep clipping our costs as the revenue kept slipping," Lansing says. Lansing: We hope to have that completed within about eight to 10 weeks. I, and the management team, all of us, we determined that was going to be a priority for the year 2021. Pozen Fellow At the Shorenstein Center. ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. In Mr. Mohns first full year on the job, NPR operated in the black after having run a deficit for five of the six preceding years. Pack then took a number of actions that raised fears about the independence of the agency, which includes Voice of America. 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. Age: 62, Born on July 31, 1957, in Minneapolis 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. Yet the tech and media industries' prospects stand at odds with a tight labor market and low unemployment more broadly.
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