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. Weve seen a gradual comeback. In a memo to. 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. Mohn had promised to attract major contributions to NPR before the end of his tenure; to date he has not landed the major eight- and nine-figure donations his stated aspirations suggested. Follow Bloomberg reporters as they uncover some of the biggest financial crimes of the modern era. Lansing: Were still working on it right now. Scripps Networks August 20, 2022 August 20th is National Radio Day. hide caption. NPR has a new CEO. Lansing was most recently the CEO of USAGM, a $800 million dollar independent federal agency that operates on multiple platforms reaching an average weekly audience of 345 million in 61 languages. 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. 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. And as the year unfolded, we began to develop our three-year strategic plan. We are not just putting out regulations or policies and paperwork. I'm from Minneapolis, and my parents are buried about six blocks from where George Floyd was killed. Let's say, I was walking out of high school into college, I had no idea what I was going to do. How do you think that the North Star, the strategic initiative, is going? Lansing: That was conducted back in September. Lansing is a media executive with a deep understanding of journalism, having spent two decades as an award-winning journalist, successful newsroom leader and major market local media executive before becoming a global chief executive officer. What advice would you give to young journalists of color when navigating these white spaces, but attempting to make a change? 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. We collected a lot of data and we have a lot of good follow-up opportunities, and Ill continue to offer myself up as a direct resource in that pilot project. 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. Current: With broadcast listening declining during the pandemic, what is NPR doing to address and adjust to those trends? U.S. Agency for Global Media Trump has notably praised authoritarian figures, including the leaders of North Korea, the Philippines, Russia and Turkey and has waged his own fight against journalists. "We were doing everything we could against the tide and couldn't keep clipping our costs as the revenue kept slipping," Lansing says. 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. Current: Did anything else stand out to you in that survey that you believe needed attention and needs attention? 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. 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 takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. The union represents 570 people at NPR. 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. You have shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be broadcasting tent poles, Mr. Lansing said. At the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Lansing championed a free press even as leaders of many nations move against it. 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? 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. Considering the demise of local newspapers around the country and the growth of our member stations newsrooms around the country, were really working hard to support their local journalism, because its so important to us. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. Current (https://current.org/2021/02/ceo-john-lansing-discusses-nprs-diversity-efforts-budget-deficit-and-growing-podcast-competition/). 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. 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. An NPR spokeswoman said final decisions on which jobs will be eliminated should occur by the week of March 20. 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. Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a nongovernmental broadcaster. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan When you first got to NPR, what did you think? "We're not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market," Lansing says in an interview. So sad to me. And the work goes on. Mohn will continue on as President Emeritus & Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary Campaign. Lansing, who is 62, is. Were working with member stations on topic teams for, say, political reporting or criminal justice reporting across the system. 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. John Lansing is taking over for outgoing CEO Jarl Mohn, who has led the organization for . He guided the organization in becoming a leading developer of unique content across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms. Its something that we certainly support. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. CEO John Lansing cited the erosion of advertising dollars, particularly for NPR podcasts, and the tough financial outlook for the media industry more generally. But now we're seeing authoritarian regimes expanding around the globe, with media repression in places like Turkey and Venezuela, Cambodia and Vietnam.". promoting Keith Woods to chief diversity officer, regional newsrooms in Texas and California and the Midwest and in the Gulf, I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer, looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app, Suspension of NPRs Kroc fellowships disrupts talent development, career plans of student journalists. And Im holding myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports accountable to me. NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans everydayon the air, online, and in person. National Public Radio (NPR) CEO John Lansing announced in a Wednesday memo that the network will lay off 10 percent of its staff and freeze vacant positions. Weve also seen very positive upticks in development. (Former long time member). 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. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging. Applicants to this years fellowship see its cancellation as a setback for journalists of color who want to work in public radio. NPR's total workforce has grown by about 50 percent since before that crisis. NPR's president of operations, Loren Mayor, was the leading internal candidate for the chief executive position. I had been gone for the better part of a year or so. I was very pleased to see Code Switch named as Apples top podcast of the year. NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions, Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. "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. 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. When will that freeze be lifted? Lansing describes himself as a citizen watching from the outside A private citizen? But also, what are the larger things that are happening? ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. 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. Certainly in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder on Memorial Day weekend, our efforts accelerated and we doubled down on communication, training and listening. In an interview, Lansing said he wants to build on NPR's successes in broadcast news and entertainment to become even more dominant in podcasting and more prevalent in streaming. Last year, President Trump appointed Michael Pack as USAGMs CEO. 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. It really stretched me to understand that flexibility is a good thing. 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Lansing also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. 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. 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. Mohn led NPR through five consecutive years of audience growth and budget surplus. 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. "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. Harvard Kennedy School. "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. Fearing a tepid economy, Lansing and his corporate team projected that revenue would stay flat for the fiscal year that began October 1. 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. Unlike some predecessors, Lansing doesn't face a particularly fraught political landscape. He soon made DEI the top priority at NPR. And our work began then. NPR's chief executive announced the network would lay off roughly 10% of its . Did you know that one day you would become a CEO? Lansing clearly had an ongoing interest in the USAGM story and the notion that that at some point along the line he did not provide his take, at minimum, to NPR reporting staff, on the story beggars belief. But we felt like it was an important investment to make in our member stations to support them during the pandemic. 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. How are you working to shore up NPRs place in the podcasting landscape and compete with deep-pocketed tech companies? 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. Scripps Co., says whenever an economic slowdown appears imminent, marketing budgets get slashed. 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. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? Its an inclusive process. National Public Radio will reduce its workforce by 10 percent as it grapples with what CEO John Lansing says is a "sharp . She also has led initiatives to reform hiring practices and to sweep far more temporary positions into permanent slots, often working closely with the network's chief unions to do so. Were finishing up in the next two to three weeks the specific lists of actions and activities under these pillars. After becoming part of Warner Bros. The work of those pillars will be done through the lens of improving our efforts on DEI. So at the end of the day, its a commitment, but this also has to be accountability. Tech companies that also rely heavily on advertising are undergoing layoffs too. NPR has a new CEO. 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. So I wouldn't create a politics podcast because there are too many, and we have the best one of many already. We need help now. So we began an intensive set of Zoom meetings that I attended, each one with a member station and a qualified potential donor. Were certainly not over, were not at a finish line. We discovered in our most recent climate survey that that was an area that we needed to put more effort into. September 6, 2019. Such distinctions between news and programming are tricky, however, as programming oversees podcasts, including those that perform journalistic functions, such as Code Switch, It's Been A Minute, Planet Money, and Throughline. The newsroom currently stands at just shy of 490 people, while programming has shot up to 230. "Nothing is nailed down yet except the principles and what we know we have to reach.". Leading the organization through it all is CEO John Lansing, a longtime media executive who has been on the job since October 2019. 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. Our third pillar is to optimize content and meet audiences where they are. This is just dishonest, especially since NPR became what amounted to a voice of the opposition in its coverage of this dysfunctional federal agency. 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 will start in his new position in mid-October. I had no idea what was out there. So mentally, how do you manage that? It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. Current: NPRs budget also took a hit because of the pandemic. Oh wait. Being a changemaker is awesome, but can have its own challenges as you're just trying to improve your career. We did a climate survey of our employees, and we learned about a particular weak spot for us with women of color at NPR who didn't feel it was a place to grow their career, a place to be their whole selves, a place where they are seen and respected. Lansing, who is 62, is. "The result, I believe, is a war on truth. 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. The roots of the VOA involved providing truthful reports to people under Nazi and Axis power rule during World War II. Mr. Mohn was pressed about his leadership in a tense NPR interview and later apologized to employees for not taking action sooner. Its not a sidebar. You have stated that DEI is your top priority at NPR. 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. Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. Pat O'Donnell, the executive director of the union's Mid-Atlantic unit, could not be reached for comment for this story. And probably the most important accountability is that, first of all, I hold myself accountable with my goals that I report to the board. 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. And be a good listener. John Lansing testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee in July. He took over a troubled organization beset by infighting and bureaucratic inefficiency. "The combination of his health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans.". In recent remarks online, Johnson, who is Black, focused on a more competitive landscape for NPR journalists, including people of color. John F Lansing, National Public Radio Inc: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Live Now Bloomberg TV+ Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East Bloomberg Daybreak Middle East. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. NPR, the public radio and podcasting giant, has a new leader after years of growth and internal turmoil. Lansing has earned an advanced degree in political agility. 2017-2022. Lansing says the agency referred Haroon Ullah's expenditures to auditors and investigators after travel assistants flagged them; according to the Justice Department statement, Ullah admitted submitting fraudulent receipts for hotel room reimbursements and fake medical claims to get government payments of upgrades in airline seat assignments, among other offenses. It was about a $3 million cost to NPR for the fiscal year. Anyone can read what you share. That said, Mohn set higher annual expectations for the network in fundraising and agreed to be co-chairman of its 50th-anniversary capital campaign. We are different from other federal agencies, said Grant K. Turner, the agencys chief financial officer. Your email address will not be published. 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. Government support for the public radio system isn't in any immediate jeopardy. 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. Lansing 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. 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 some stations who had a schedule to go down actually were allowed to go down. So that would be mine. 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. I got this part time job at a TV station to make a little money while I was going to college. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images And weve seen that really help them grow. I think we're moving forward. 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. Then I moved on to manage TV stations and cable networks. So if you have leaders talking about DEI as a priority, well, then, show me. 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. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Lansing: I guess my head turns first to the journalism of our member stations. No. Current: How much were those anonymous gifts? And weve seen some significant success with that. Born and raised in Albany, New York, Lansing was trained as a lawyer, and was long involved in politics and government.During the American Revolution he was military secretary to General Philip Schuyler. This documentary-style series follows investigative journalists as they uncover the truth. So I would tell my younger self to be confident, calm down, it's all gonna work out. 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, 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 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Courtesy of Allison Shelley for NPR. We had begun a lot of work under [Chief Diversity Officer] Keith Woods' leadership to really move us forward. 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. hide caption. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/npr-john-lansing.html. But it was not from a standing start. 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. 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. And were pleased to work with them. 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. Podtrac, which measures the audiences of podcast publishers, has consistently placed NPR at the top of its monthly rankings. It's interesting. Vox Media cut jobs by 7%; Gannett and Spotify by 6%. Current: Can you be more specific about what that looks like in terms of how you reach people who may not already know about NPRs podcasts? Current: What challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans? I remember we had several all-staff discussions about a variety of issues that branched off of that, including the Code of Conduct, for example, as it relates to NPR employees at public demonstrations. 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. If it's not being solved from the top down, it shouldn't be a burden for people just trying to build their career. John Lansing is a former Obama appointee who was named president and CEO of NPR on Thursday. For two years, he served as the president and CEO of a cable trade group called the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing.