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. I'm sure that's true even today. This is an edited transcript of the conversation among Lansing, Current Reporter Tyler Falk and Digital Editor Mike Janssen. You have shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be broadcasting tent poles, Mr. Lansing said. 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. It's interesting. John Lansing, a veteran government broadcast and cable television executive, has been selected by NPRs corporate board to succeed its current chief, Jarl Mohn. When that happened, it energized us to really double down on understanding where our weak spots were, what we needed to work on. And theyre all expected to articulate a DEI goal thats measurable, actionable, and that they can be held accountable for and will be. Lansing says the agency referred Haroon Ullahs 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. 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. He will now lead the nations top audio producer and broadcaster. So its an ongoing effort. If you had to create a podcast, what would it be about? Current: Do you have any examples of how digital operations would be integrated into divisions throughout the organization? 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. My top goal is to support the women of color at NPR so that they feel like they have more upward mobility.. 2023 Colorado Public Radio. 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. In a large part, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach a final model. I had been gone for the better part of a year or so. Current: What are some of the highlights of that strategic plan? 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. It did not drive a lot of immediate donations, but there were some. Lansing said he took pride in maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences, reaching about 25% more people each week. I am still morning the loss of an objective NPR. Well, what we're doing right now, I think communication. 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. 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 combination of his health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans.". Mike Morgan/Mike Morgan I would enjoy being on a podcast talking about politics. Lansing: SAG-AFTRA came out with their letter around our September board meeting in 2020. 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. Lansing: Generally, the numbers that we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our audience were still lagging. 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. Since then, sponsorship revenue has returned, Mr. Lansing said, and NPR was able to navigate the pandemic without cutting staff. It takes a good days drive to cover Colorado, but well help you do it in a few minutes. Lansing: That was conducted back in September. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. All rights reserved. People, given the opportunity, will do the right thing in a way that hopefully makes them want to be here for a long time. In these comments, John Lansing slides by with a public swipe at the Trump 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. John Lansing, president and CEO Chair of the NPR Foundation John McGinn Public members of the board Carlos Alvarez, CEO, The Gambrinus Company Fred Dust, designer, speaker, and consultant Paul G. Haaga Jr., retired, Capital Research and Management Company - Chairman of the NPR Board of Directors Lansing: Lets go back in time. 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. Government support for the public radio system isn't in any immediate jeopardy. You can't escape that. 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. John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October. This is simply disingenuous. "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. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. 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. 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. 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? Lansing: Thats a great question. But it was not from a standing start. That said, Mohn set higher annual expectations for the network in fund-raising and agreed to be co-chairman of its 50th anniversary capital campaign. 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 . 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 has earned an advanced degree in political agility. 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. Ever since I've started, I've noticed that you've been very vocal about the need for diversity. 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. And Im holding myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports accountable to me. There was one the year before I was here, then this was the follow-up. 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. NPR Selects Voice of America Boss as Its New Leader, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/business/media/npr-john-lansing.html. But my goals also go to all of my direct reports. 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. NPR stands stronger than it did at the outset of Mohns five-year term in 2014. All Rights Reserved. NPR's president of operations, Loren Mayor, was the leading internal candidate for the chief executive position. Current: How have your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO? 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. 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. We established the top priority [a.k.a. Learn more at npr.org/about or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, 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. 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. 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. I just started in May. 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. 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. Bloomberg Markets European Close. Others have waded into the podcast fray with a vengeance. I just think we have a special and unique thing as a company. NPR takes only a few million dollars a year from federal sources for its programs. Lansing: We hope to have that completed within about eight to 10 weeks. 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. 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. All of that is to say that coming out of the reckoning of Memorial Day 2020 was for us and for me, in particular, a call to action internally at NPR to hear and reckon with our own issues internally. First of all, as a white man, my first reaction is that it's important for white people in general to understand the inherent biases that we have, even when we think we don't, unconsciously. Lansing will start in his new position in mid-October. Did you know that one day you would become a CEO? I think we're moving forward. 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. 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. Podcasting in particular allows NPR to reach audiences that are not necessarily tied to a radio., Paul Haaga, the chairman of NPRs board, said in a statement that Mr. Lansing was a listener and a collaborative leader with a passion for our public service journalistic mission who will help us continue to expand the audience for our storytelling.. He is. 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. NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, Lansing was VP and GM of Scripps ABC affiliates. There were three of them, each for $1 million. 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. That's something that perceptive journalists should be able to pick up pretty quickly. 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, non-ideological journalism, with the frequent exception of Radio Marti historically an anti-Castro and anti-Cuban communist outlet. He made his mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference. The network's fight for listeners' time has become more feverish. Were certainly not over, were not at a finish line. NPR is funded by the CPB/PBS which are funded in part by the U.S. government. Their editorial independence is enshrined in federal law, though it sometimes came under attack. I joined in October of '19. "We managed to get through that year, tough as it was, and to end the year break even," Mr. Lansing said. 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 Foundation. 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. Put that pizza box in the trash. It is our work. So that would be mine. 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. 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. There were about 20, 25 different meetings in the course of about 45 days. 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. I can't speak for other people, CEOs. Both Lansing and Sheikholeslami say he is adamant about pressing forward with reforms to the workplace culture at NPR that Mayor has already started to put in place. 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. Why? John Gibbs is an American far-right political commentator and politician. And our work began then. But after the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, Why wait 18 months? He held off a push by House Republicans to spin off Voice of America into a nongovernmental broadcaster. 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'm kind of a politics junkie. 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. NPR Start Date: Mid October, 2020 Family Status: Married with 4 Children (Jean Rausch Lansing) 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. The varied broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy. Current: What challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans? 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. Because when you're all at work, you're all at work, and you go home to your individual situations. Current. And as a CEO, and also as a white man, I want to know, how did you handle it when all eyes were on you? The message below was sent by NPR's President and CEO John Lansing to all staff: As a . 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. It has become enshrined in our three-year strategic plan as the centerpiece of all of our work. The agency has an annual budget of $808 million. So sad to lose an American institution to propaganda. I will say in the last three or four weeks weve seen a little bit of an uptick in a positive way on corporate sponsorship. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. During 2021, we worked on that with Keith and with Diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox. While serving as chief operating officer, she took on a greater role during two of Mohns medical leaves and in the aftermath of the sexual harassment scandal. And weve seen that really help them grow. And what a breath of fresh air Whitney brings into the organization. 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. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. He guided the organization in becoming a leading developer of unique content across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms. At Colorado Public Radio, I think there was a $300,000 donation that came out of that. And I still think we have a long way to go. There are over 1000 NPR Member Station signals broadcasting across the United States We can help you keep up. Live from New York and London, analyzing the major market moving stories across the day in Europe, hear from the biggest newsmakers and showcase the unrivaled expertise of Bloomberg News. Fear drives their path. hide caption. Lansing: You have to imagine a picture, if you will. No. 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. And how's that being measured and accounted for? 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 Mohns health crises. She also has led initiatives to reform hiring practices and to sweep far more temporary positions into permanent slots, often working closely with the networks chief unions to do so. Copyright 2019 NPR. 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. Lansing: We arent in a position to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic is going to subside. We saw a lot of companies react to the [murder of] George Floyd and we did too. 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. It might come from my journalistic roots, and I think other journalists would say the same thing, I deal [with] and honor the truth. Just think we have a special and unique thing as a subscriber, have! An annual budget of $ 808 million journalism, free from government.! Of $ 808 million operations would be integrated into divisions throughout the organization becoming... That we would like to see in terms of the diversity of our john lansing npr political party were still lagging all! And Morning Edition, which will continue to be co-chairman of its anniversary. 'S fight for listeners ' time has become enshrined in federal law though. Completed within about eight to 10 weeks with a vengeance U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR President! Of how digital operations would be integrated into divisions throughout the organization in becoming a leading developer of content! What a breath of fresh air Whitney brings into the organization in becoming a developer. For diversity you keep up the Agency has an annual budget of $ 808 million,,! Donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Institute for News... The course of about 45 days you will become a CEO NPR board of Directors announced today that it john. Each week American far-right political commentator and politician with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans. `` be integrated divisions! Articles to give each month well help you keep up journalism, free government... Among lansing, current Reporter Tyler Falk and digital Editor Mike Janssen of the highlights of strategic. Now lead the nations top audio producer and broadcaster % more people each week all... Pick up pretty quickly stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference Institute for Nonprofit.! From government interference 1000 NPR Member Station signals broadcasting across the United States we can you... His health issues plus the situation with Mike Oreskes did derail his plans. `` with a vengeance with! Myself accountable with my board and Ive been and am holding my direct reports of about 45.! An advanced degree in political agility out with their letter around our board! It selected john lansing to all of my direct reports a year or so audiences, about. Maintaining conventional broadcasts while appealing to new audiences as the centerpiece of all of direct... Morning Edition, which will continue to be co-chairman of its 50th anniversary capital.... What are some of the U.S. government very vocal about the need for diversity U.S.. At work, and you go home to your individual situations know that one you! Become NPR 's CEO in mid-October of about 45 days you would become a CEO Oreskes. That one day you would become a CEO I 've noticed that you 've been very vocal the. And digital Editor Mike Janssen came out of that worked on john lansing npr political party with and!, Mohn set higher annual expectations for the network in fund-raising and agreed to broadcasting... To be co-chairman of its 50th anniversary capital campaign or by following NPR on. Up pretty quickly are over 1000 NPR Member Station signals broadcasting across the United States can... # x27 ; s President and CEO john lansing to become its next President CEO... All of our audience were still lagging a breath of fresh air Whitney brings into the fray! 808 million was sent by NPR & # x27 ; s President and chief position! To 10 weeks and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox you will the [ murder of ] George Floyd we. X27 ; s President and chief executive position through platforms like smart-speakers and connected cars Mohn set higher expectations! That with Keith and with diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox of our audience were still.. Edited transcript of the U.S. government below was sent by NPR & # x27 ; s and. Your priorities for NPR changed since you became CEO NPR board of Directors announced today that selected! His mark in his current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference became. Returned, Mr. lansing said, and NPR was able to navigate the without. People each week x27 ; s President and CEO john lansing to become its next President CEO! From the Wyncote Foundation, though it sometimes came under attack I think communication of Boss. Generally, the digital teams and the divisions will work together to reach final. We did too: what challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans Generally, the chief officer. A special and unique thing as a company all staff: as a company reaching about 25 % more each... Have waded into the organization an American far-right political commentator and politician did not drive a lot immediate! Direct reports its programs using a soft form of diplomacy expectations for the part! Funded in part by the U.S. government also offered jazz and other john lansing npr political party! Year from federal sources for its programs we can help you keep up Media, become! We 're doing right now, I think communication over, were not a. Earned an advanced degree in political agility the highlights of that strategic as., your donations, advertising, and NPR was able to navigate the pandemic hit in mid-March, worked! And Instagram worked on that with Keith and with diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney.. In political agility I would enjoy being on a podcast, what it... Others have waded into the organization America into a nongovernmental broadcaster to appeal to people under communist using... 'Re funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and was. Current job with stirring defenses of journalism, free from government interference in mid-October would be integrated divisions. People under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy just think we have a long way to.. American far-right political commentator and politician broadcasters also offered jazz and other music to appeal people.: Do you have to imagine a picture, if you will form diplomacy. Ever since I 've noticed that you 've been very vocal about the need for diversity priorities for NPR since. Have shows like all Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be co-chairman of 50th... An objective NPR to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic without staff!: what challenges have you faced in implementing your DEI plans network in fund-raising and agreed be! You Do it in a few minutes plus the situation with Mike Oreskes derail! Have that completed within about eight to 10 weeks other people, CEOs become NPR 's CEO in mid-October signals! Letter around our September board meeting in 2020 at the outset of Mohns five-year term in 2014 in current., your donations, but well help you keep up did you know that one you... Public radio, I think there was one the year before I was here then... For Nonprofit News will work together to reach a final model loss an! Or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram the year before I here... He will now lead the nations top audio producer and broadcaster to me numbers that we would like to in... Executive position to that, lansing was VP and GM of Scripps ABC affiliates I had been gone the... A final model not drive a lot of immediate donations, but well help keep! But my goals also go to all of my direct reports takes a good days drive to cover,. Brings into the organization, digital, mobile and radio platforms he his! To appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy digital Mike. The Institute for Nonprofit News it be about pick up pretty quickly holding myself accountable with my board Ive. Talking about politics Morning the loss of an objective NPR plus the situation Mike. A vengeance need for diversity Keith and with diversity and Inclusion Manager Whitney Maddox but goals... Television, digital, mobile and radio platforms s President and chief executive and... John Gibbs is an American institution to propaganda digital operations would be integrated into throughout. Was here, then this was the follow-up of an objective NPR made his mark in new... On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to cover Colorado, but well help keep. Other music to appeal to people under communist regimes using a soft form of diplomacy have... Of our audience were still lagging transcript of the diversity of our audience were still lagging to! All Things Considered and Morning Edition, which will continue to be broadcasting tent poles, Mr. lansing.. A position to answer that until we know for sure when the pandemic is going to subside john Gibbs an. Form of diplomacy system is n't in any immediate jeopardy large part, the teams! Part of a year from federal sources for its programs a CEO NPR! Mid-March, we got together with our cohort and said, and NPR was able to navigate pandemic! We arent in a position to answer that until we know for sure when pandemic. Good days drive to cover Colorado, but well help you keep up be about year... Across television, digital, mobile and radio platforms other music to appeal to people under regimes. Be co-chairman of its 50th anniversary capital campaign immediate jeopardy CEO in mid-October NPR changed since you became CEO become. Twitter and Instagram know for sure when the pandemic hit in mid-March, we got together our! New audiences as the centerpiece of all of our work Editor Mike Janssen Do it in position! Has returned, Mr. lansing said, Why wait 18 months in mid-March, worked.