New York Public Radio, the nonprofit that owns WNYC and the classical radio station WQXR, said on Tuesday that its next chief executive would be Christy Tanner, a veteran of CBS News and The Associated Press.
Ms. Tanner, 57, will take the helm on Wednesday. In an interview, Ms. Tanner said that New York Public Radio, which is behind “The Brian Lehrer Show,” the popular podcast “Radiolab” and the local news site Gothamist, was a sometimes underestimated news and entertainment powerhouse that produced compelling journalism and cultural programming across a variety of formats.
“I think that some of the words that we use to describe this organization don’t accurately convey the depth and breadth of its programming leadership, the size of its audience and the value that these incredible programs, podcasts and live events have,” Ms. Tanner said. “Not only in New York City but nationwide.”
Public broadcasting has been in tumult since Congress voted last year to strip more than $500 million in annual funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But New York Public Radio has been mostly insulated from the change, since it received only about 4 percent of its funding from the corporation. Like other stations, it has benefited from a surge in listener support since Congress began contemplating cutting federal funds last year, surpassing its fund-raising goal of $57.7 million for the fiscal year by roughly $4 million.
One of Ms. Tanner’s biggest challenges will be building on that success to further shore up the finances of the organization, which has had to cut costs in recent years to offset budget shortfalls. Ms. Tanner said the organization had turned a corner financially, adding that she hoped to expand its audience nationally and internationally and strengthen its fund-raising abilities.
Ms. Tanner will bring decades of professional experience to her new role. She spent eight years at CBS, where she expanded the network’s streaming platform and transformed its digital business. Before that, she was the chief executive of TV Guide Digital, leading its sale to CBS in 2013. She replaces LaFontaine Oliver, who in July said that he was transitioning to an executive chair role and that he would be helping the board recruit the next chief executive.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, New York Public Radio was roiled by controversies stemming from plagiarism, accusations of bullying and internal debates over whether the nonprofit was sufficiently committed to diversity. Those conflagrations have since died down. But WNYC remains an organization with vocal employees who feel a strong sense of ownership over their work and are not shy about challenging their bosses publicly.
Ms. Tanner, a former reporter at The Associated Press, said that she welcomed the skepticism that came with running a journalistic enterprise.
“I covered the police and the education beats in Memphis, Tenn., in the ’90s,” Ms. Tanner said. “I have been the person looking skeptically at the leadership of these types of organizations. I understand why they’re skeptical, and I hope they remain skeptical of people in power and want to hold them to account.”
Benjamin Mullin reports for The Times on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact him securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or at [email protected].
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