NPR has announced the hiring of John Lansing as President/CEO succeeding the outgoing Jarl Mohn.
Lansing currently serves as CEO of USAGM, the federal agency overseeing Voice of America, Radio and Television Marti, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He has also served as CEO of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing after spending much of his career within broadcast and cable television. He has served as News Director of WBBM-TV Chicago and WCCO-TV Minneapolis, General Manager of Scripps’ WEWS Cleveland and WXYZ Detroit, Senior VP/Television for Scripps and then President of Scripps Networks overseeing Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country and their digital properties.
Mohn stated in December 2018 that he intended to step down at the end of June before shifting to a President Emeritus role.
The NPR Board of Directors announced today that it selected John Lansing to become its next President and Chief Executive Officer. 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.
“We are delighted to welcome John, whose deep experience as a media industry executive and practicing journalist make him ideally suited to lead NPR into its next chapter,” said Paul Haaga, Chair of the NPR board. “He is 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.”
“I am thrilled to work with NPR’s exceptional management team, staff and journalists,” said Lansing. “I have been an avid fan of NPR for many years. To be a part of creating the future of such an important institution is humbling, exciting, and a distinct honor.”
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 62 languages. Lansing started his news industry career at age 17 as a studio technician and cameraman at WPSD TV, Paducah, KY, where he was promoted to news photographer after two years. 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. 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.
Lansing will begin his term at NPR in October and will succeed Jarl Mohn, who has been Chief Executive Officer and President since 2014. Mohn led NPR through five consecutive years of audience growth and budget surplus. 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. Mohn will continue on as President Emeritus & Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary Campaign.
