John Lansing is retiring as NPR’s chief executive after a four-year tenure that The New York Times described as “rocky” and that even NPR called “tumultuous.”
Lansing, 66, will step down at the end of the year — nine months before his term was set to end. According to the Times’ Katie Robertson, Lansing sent an email to staff saying he made the decision in May and that “the timing feels right to me.”
A national search is already underway for his successor.
NPR media writer David Folkenflik wrote, “His four-year tenure will be defined by his handling of the extreme challenges of the pandemic, a racial reckoning, and headwinds in the podcasting industry that led to severe layoffs.”
A part of that racial reckoning? Robertson wrote, “NPR was also at the center of questions about how it treated people from diverse backgrounds after a number of its high-profile hosts who were women of color, including Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Noel King and Audie Cornish, left the broadcaster.”
But in its release announcing Lansing’s retirement, NPR wrote, “Under Lansing’s leadership, NPR’s executive team has evolved to include more than 40% people of color, from 9% in 2019. This is in addition to the appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer and the creation of NPR’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Representation of people of color at NPR also increased from 33% in 2019 to 42% in 2023, including greater representation in audience-facing and supervisory roles. NPR’s DEI commitment also led to the development of programming, content, and campaigns focused on bringing new voices and diverse perspectives on important issues.”
Folkenflik noted Lansing made “diversifying the network's staff, offerings and audiences a hallmark of his leadership, defining it as both a moral and a business imperative.”
Lansing now says, “Currently, our audience on radio does not nearly reflect the demographics of the United States. Our name is National Public Radio and 'national' means everybody.”
The journalism during Lansing’s time, however, has remained strong.
In the note to staff, Lansing wrote, “We have been through a lot together over the past four years, and you have made me proud every day. During the pandemic, we were there when America needed us most, reporting truthful life-saving information when disinformation was rampant. And we were there when America went through an overdue racial reckoning. Our journalists did remarkable work covering the efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and when Russia launched its war against Ukraine. We were also there when our audiences needed joy, laughter and connection in those moments that felt so bleak. All of you — and I mean every person working in every role at every level of this company — played a role in serving our audiences and the public interest at a time of incredible need. You should all stand proud, and it has been the honor of my career to have you as colleagues.”
Lansing now says NPR is operating in the black, but this is due to additional subsidies from the NPR Foundation and severe cuts early this year. In February, NPR laid off about 10% of its staff — around 100 people — and cut four podcasts.
There also have been shifts in NPR’s leadership. Folkenflik wrote, “Lansing's announcement Tuesday comes after months of turbulence and turnover at the network's highest levels, with many key positions vacant, newly filled, or held by someone on a temporary basis. The top news executive, promoted to that post in July on a permanent basis, is additionally serving as NPR's interim chief content officer, a newly created position above news and other content. NPR's top news executive left last fall. Then, after the layoffs in the spring, NPR's chief financial officer and chief operating officer departed. The chief executive over podcasting is leaving in December, like Lansing (although he says he will stay until NPR lands a new CEO). Chief operating officer Will Lee, who became chief executive of Adweek, will not be replaced; Lansing says Lee's duties will be parceled out to new CFO Daphne Kwon and the as-yet unnamed chief content officer.”
In a statement, NPR board chair Jeff Sine said, "We are all immensely grateful to John for his principled and tenacious leadership through a turbulent time for NPR, our system and our nation. From developing pandemic protocols to sitting alongside President Biden at this year’s White House Press Dinner, John has faced the highs and lows with grace and equanimity."
In his remaining time as NPR’s chief executive, Lansing will concentrate on NPR’s future.
He told Folkenflik, “We're digital first. We understand that the new, younger audiences prefer on-demand content. Whether that's local television, broadcast television (or) radio, it's a secular shift in the way people are consuming media. We need to examine our approach to content and journalism production with that in mind. Otherwise, we're really consigning NPR to a very difficult future as the audience ages.”
Before moving on to the rest of the newsletter, I should mention that Poynter’s senior vice president and ethics chair Kelly McBride is NPR’s public editor.
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