NPR Is In Turmoil. Will Its New President Make Things Better Or Worse?

Public radio has pretty much always had the image of a stuffy (maybe even boring) source of news, with a few lighthearted and entertaining programs — “Car Talk,” anyone? — thrown into the mix. But NPR was generally seen as a reliable network with a loyal base of listeners in communities nationwide.

That foundation is now showing some serious cracks, though, and much of it has been exposed in response to an article written by long-time NPR editor Uri Berliner.

An identity crisis

In a piece that resulted in his suspension and ultimately prompted him to resign earlier this month, Berliner severely criticized NPR for adopting a far-left ideological bias that alienated all but a small sliver of the American population.

Although newly named NPR President Katherine Maher issued a statement touting the network’s journalistic independence, there’s no denying the fact that listeners are tuning out in droves. That might be in part due to the diminishing relevance of radio in general, but NPR Chief Financial Officer Daphne Kwon recently described the situation in stark terms.

“We’re slipping in our ability to impact America, not just in broadcast, but also in the growing world of on-demand audio.”

Former NPR exec Eric Nuzum opined that “public radio has five to seven years to reimagine itself before it’s simply unsustainable.”

Maher’s objective

The new president came into the position with a vision to “reach audiences on new and existing platforms,” and a few NPR programs have seen success as podcasts.

But Maher has come under fire in the wake of Berliner’s article over previous statements that seem to bolster his concerns about institutionalized ideological biases.

With an audience that has shrunk from about 60 million in 2020 to around 42 million today, it’s clear that everyone from Maher down has some tough challenges ahead.

Chris Agee April 25th, 2024

Share this story: