Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. In a private meeting on Thursday President Biden informed Senate Democrats that he will not use his veto power to block a GOP-led effort to repeal D.C.'s new crime law. 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So I brought in Michael Smith as our new chief marketing officer almost a year ago. Vox Media cut jobs by 7%; Gannett and Spotify by 6%. "We're not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market," Lansing says in an interview. Harvard Kennedy School. At the same time, we have to think creatively. Copyright 2023. If you had to create a podcast, what would it be about? NPR is funded by the CPB/PBS which are funded in part by the U.S. government. And how's that being measured and accounted for? Current (https://current.org/2021/02/ceo-john-lansing-discusses-nprs-diversity-efforts-budget-deficit-and-growing-podcast-competition/). Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. 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. And our work began then. "Your mobility becomes extremely important to be involved and connected to audiences that are mobile and that tend to be, frankly, younger and, as we think of it at USAGM, future leaders, who can influence the rise of free and open societies.". NPR's Michel Martin asks NPR's CEO, John Lansing, to respond to an All Things Considered interview with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. It is our work. It's not just what happened this week on the Hill, although that's important. 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. New podcasts Up First, Consider This and State of Ukraine sit on both sides. John Lansing testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee in July. Essentially, the success of the company falls in your hands. 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. And the pandemic hit six months later in March of '20. That's a big thing too: having a common understanding of what management's committed to, what the Board supports, the work that's in front of us to live up to it, and ultimately diversifying our audience which leads to the business purpose. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. I just think that somebody's truth is the truth. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. I think you have to be in front of your teams. 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. We established management commitments to the women of color so that we address specifically their concerns. After becoming part of Warner Bros. The network has won acclaim for its coverage of wars and disasters, yet suffered its own crisis and tragedy in 2016 when its David Gilkey and Zabihullah Tamanna were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan. I joined in October of '19. 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 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. 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. How does the economy react to all of that? It was hard for everyone. Mr. Mohn led the push into podcasting and helped stabilize the organization after years of management turnover and budget deficits. "The result, I believe, is a war on truth. Again, I think it's about getting it intertwined into everything we do. Let's say, I was walking out of high school into college, I had no idea what I was going to do. It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. "Management is about committing to strategy, making tough decisions.". 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. Were certainly not over, were not at a finish line. "However, when you think how we look out longer term, right, not just for 20 years, but several years out, it's really about building a sustainable financial future for NPR.". Today, we feature John Lansing, CEO of NPR. That was due largely to reductions in corporate sponsorship and also additional expenses we were incurring in supporting our employees with paid time off, as we adjusted to the new working arrangements and the stresses that we were all under and also the additional expense of cleaning the headquarters multiple times a day on certain occasions. Way back when, I was a news cameraman. Age: 62, Born on July 31, 1957, in Minneapolis 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 said he took pride in maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences, reaching about 25% more people each week. Lansing's tenure at the agency has not been without controversy. What is the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year? 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. Bellarmine alumnus and former trustee John Lansing, a veteran cable television and government broadcast executive, is the new CEO of NPR. My top goal is to support the women of color at NPR so that they feel like they have more upward mobility.. So at the end of the day, its a commitment, but this also has to be accountability. Current: How much were those anonymous gifts? Mr. Lansing will start in October, replacing Jarl Mohn, who has run NPR since 2014. There were three of them, each for $1 million. 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. But my goals also go to all of my direct reports. 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. 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. 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. When that happened, it energized us to really double down on understanding where our weak spots were, what we needed to work on. Our third pillar is to optimize content and meet audiences where they are. 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. 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. hide caption. And the work goes on. 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. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. 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. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. During that financial crisis, NPR shut down shows and laid off scores of people. NPR will cut 10% of its workforce, CEO John Lansing said Wednesday. The ratings for our weekend magazine shows are actually slightly greater than they were a year ago pre-pandemic, so thats a bright spot.. Current: Do you have any examples of how digital operations would be integrated into divisions throughout the organization? 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, who is 62, is. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? Pozen Fellow At the Shorenstein Center. 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. And as the year unfolded, we began to develop our three-year strategic plan. As we moved through the summer, that deficit remained at about $25 million. The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, eliminated its Sunday magazine and a handful of other jobs. 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. 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. 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 . ", Lansing, formerly a top television executive for the E.W. 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 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. But we made a firm commitment, as you know, to freeze station dues and fees. 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 . The agency has an annual budget of $808 million. It didnt begin in the summer it accelerated in the summer. Did you plan for this or did it kind of just happen? This is an edited transcript of the conversation among Lansing, Current Reporter Tyler Falk and Digital Editor Mike Janssen. "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. It really stretched me to understand that flexibility is a good thing. 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. Current: You came to NPR after serving as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. 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. The second pillar is to transform our workplace culture. And its where our focus needs to be right now. And Im holding myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports accountable to me. hide caption. It's interesting. Apple is reportedly building a podcast subscription service. NPR faces financial pressures from two fronts. And I think we have to extend that lead. We discovered in our most recent climate survey that that was an area that we needed to put more effort into. Lansing has earned an advanced degree in political agility. Lansing blamed a slowdown in advertising dollars. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. John Lansing, a veteran government broadcast and cable television executive, has been selected by NPR's corporate board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn. And so I had a very visceral reaction to that happening in my hometown, and that it was so egregious the murder of an innocent person captured on video, on a phone. Vegas PBS General Manager, Tom Axtell, announces his retirement. Here's what to do in a worst case scenario. And the fourth one is to diversify and grow our revenue models so that were not overly reliant on one or two revenue streams to help strengthen our future financials. But now we're seeing authoritarian regimes expanding around the globe, with media repression in places like Turkey and Venezuela, Cambodia and Vietnam.". Anyone can read what you share. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Current is an editorially independent, nonprofit service of the American University School of Communication. Current: Why are NPR and its partners looking to sell the Pocket Casts podcast app? 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 . You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily. 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. 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. And our number one goal is to improve our audience diversity. At the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Lansing championed a free press even as leaders of many nations move against it. 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. Will there be another stimulus? They lost their objectivity and are now just pushing leftist ideology. He won praise for doing so and says he informed leaders of SAG-AFTRA on Tuesday about the impending job cuts. I would enjoy being on a podcast talking about politics. I think we're moving forward. The last time NPR faced such stark choices, it was 2008. Were working with member stations on topic teams for, say, political reporting or criminal justice reporting across the system. Did you know that one day you would become a CEO? The newsroom currently stands at just shy of 490 people, while programming has shot up to 230. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohn's five-year term in 2014. 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. For the year that ended last September, NPR reported $241 million in expenses. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/npr-john-lansing.html. Lansing also spent almost 20 years working at Scripps, including eight years as President of Scripps Networks. 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. Well, I'm fortunate that we have a terrific executive committee and leadership team, so we all share the daily ins and outs of managing a big organization. I think that's where we all wind up. What was it like for you to watch that happen? We can share resources and story ideas, and we can help organize and support those efforts. So I wouldn't create a politics podcast because there are too many, and we have the best one of many already. 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. I am still morning the loss of an objective NPR. 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. Oh wait. Last year, President Trump appointed Michael Pack as USAGMs CEO. 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: They were for general. What would you go back and tell your younger self? 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. September 6, 2019. NPR has tapped longtime media executive John Lansing to become its next president and CEO. 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. 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 NPR, the public radio and podcasting giant, has a new leader after years of growth and internal turmoil. I got this part time job at a TV station to make a little money while I was going to college. So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. Its not a sidebar. Lansing: I guess I would comment just as a citizen watching from outside. Just be tuned into our folks. Obviously, this job that you have as a CEO of NPR is a really huge responsibility. Michael was a senior marketing executive at Scripps for Food Network and HGTV and really brings a lot of media marketing expertise. Last fall, when announcing the earlier cuts, Lansing said the network would have to make tough choices - and to "do less with less." Ever since you started, you've been very vocal about it. He took over a troubled organization beset by infighting and bureaucratic inefficiency. "And I want to look for areas that I can provide leadership to bring resources together as needed strategically to find the right priorities that make the most sense for growing NPR this year and then into the future.". 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. So I think that it has caused me to be more tuned in to hearing and understanding our employees. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. In an interview on Friday, Mr. Lansing, 62, praised NPR as a home of high-quality journalism and audio production, and said that in addition to supporting traditional radio broadcasting he wanted to help NPR further its expansion into areas like podcasts, where the radio network has already been a leader. 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. Lansing describes himself as a citizen watching from the outside A private citizen?