Editor’s Note: The following is an open letter by Jarl Mohn, President and CEO - NPR
To the staff of NPR and NPR Member stations:
Thank you for what you do to make public radio possible. The mission-focused service you provide to audiences nationwide is one of the reasons why I’m so hopeful for our future.
In 2021, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of NPR. It will honor the contributions of every person who has played a role in making us what we are today. Year by year, the people of public radio have grown our industry. We began as a scrappy, start-up source of alternative news, became a supplementary source providing context, and now today are a primary source of news, information, and culture for millions of people who listen on the air and find us in apps, podcasts, and on the web.
We’ve created a virtuous cycle in public radio. Strong reporting has served our mission, our mission has grown our brand, our brand has grown sponsorship and giving, and new resources have allowed us to invest in the next generation of content in public radio. That cycle is the vision – and engine – that will drive our business into our next 50 years.
Our business model also sets us apart from commercial media. In the 1960s, Newt Minow spoke of the “vast wasteland” of commercial television. Today, the effort to bring quality programming to audiences through commercial media remains challenging, as news outlets have been pushed to ideological coverage, sensationalism, celebrity news, and scandal for the ratings and advertising that sustain them. While those might be good business models, they aren’t good journalism models. We are protected from that. Our bottom line isn’t profit but public service.
The contraction of local news across the country has created a great need everywhere. It has also created what some call news deserts but what I consider wide-open spaces for opportunity in public media. People in those areas are ready to rely on their Member station and NPR to help them understand their communities, their country, and their world. We know they are there, and we are building pathways to them. NPR and Member stations are collaborating in new ways as we build toward regional editorial hubs. With collaboration, more people can come to public radio to listen, read, use, react, engage, contribute, and become members. That is how we will move from being a primary source of news to the primary source of news, the first place to go for audiences inside the United States.
It isn’t just our commitment to journalism, it’s also the way we tell our stories that sets us apart. Whether it is a newscast, a well-produced piece in one of our news magazines, or a podcast, our ability to tell stories engages our audience and builds a strong bond. It brings our listeners in closer. The content public radio produces is not a commodity. That fact is central to our success.
Like many of you, I see Thanksgiving as a chance to pause and reflect on what matters most. For me, that is family, friends, and having a chance to do something that really matters. I’m grateful to each of you for what you give to public radio every day. The talent and goodwill you bring to work finds its way through broadcast signals, wifi, mobile, and the web to more people than we’ll ever personally know.
On their behalf, thank you for what you do.
Jarl Mohn
November 21, 2018