2019 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL 2019 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 2 Leadership 6 Letter From The President And CEO John Lansing President and CEO 9 2019 By The Numbers John McGinn NPR Foundation Chair Paul G. Haaga, Jr. NPR Board Chair 11 Only On Public Radio 2019-2020 Board of Directors Foundation Board of Trustees 15 Carlos Alvarez Civic, corporate and cultural leaders from across the country who are The Collaborative Journalism Network committed to broadening NPR’s base of listener and financial support. Mike Crane Wisconsin Public Radio Melissa Fetter & Camilla Smith Vice-Chairpersons 21 Behind The Stories John Decker KPBS Norris J. Bishton Stuart E. Lucas Fred Dust John W. Buoymaster Jarl Mohn 27 NPR Everywhere Tim Eby Ellen Carr Jacqueline C. Morby KWMU Janet F. Clark Miriam Muscarolas Jennifer Ferro KCRW Donald P. de Brier Scott O’Hare 29 Awards And Milestones Nico Leone Hazel Donald Patricia M. Papper KERA Margot P. Ernst Jane V. Peyrouse Wonya Lucas 33 Financial Statements Public Broadcasting Atlanta Paul M. Ginsburg George M. Plews Joe O’Connor Brent W. Gledhill Richard Rampell WFAE Harriett F. Gold John R. Reinsberg 35 Remembering Cokie Roberts Maria O’Mara James M. Grant Cristina Sinclaire LaFontaine E. Oliver WYPR Ellen Hanson Roselyne C. Swig 37 Thank You Jay Pearce Meriwether Hardie Marcy Syms Quad Cities NPR/WVIK-FM Anette L. Harris Chuck Taylor Jacqueline Reses 39 Our Supporters John A. Herrmann Antoine W. van Agtmael Mike Savage WEKU Richard H. Hertzberg Howard L. Wollner Jeffrey A. Sine Jihee Huh Joyce Slocum Patricia Ishiyama Texas Public Radio Ronald A. Kahn Carlos Watson Jane F. Katcher Howard Wollner Jeffrey L. Kenner Telisa Yancy Charles F. Kireker Neal Zuckerman DEAR FRIENDS, Like you, I am a steadfast supporter of To the many diligent teams behind the public service journalism. It’s why I joined scenes who get our stories out, keep the NPR in October. lights on and run our operations; To me, NPR’s journalism opens doors the To our Member station partners, public alone cannot. It acts with integrity. tirelessly informing their communities at It is based on respect. It has the courage a time when the availability of local news to speak plainly and without favor. It puts is shrinking; events into a wider context. It has no agenda other than seeking and reporting To my predecessor, Jarl Mohn, whose the truth. five years of leadership helped solidify a strong foundation for public radio’s Public service journalism is for and about future; all people—no matter where they live, who they are or what they believe. And above all, to you, our generous listeners and supporters, without whom A lot has happened over the last year this work would be for nothing. REPORT ANNUAL 2019 at NPR, in our country and around the globe. With your support, we’ve been All excellent journalism is a public service; able to serve the public and deliver the I believe NPR is a public trust. Thank fact-based, independent journalism that you for placing your trust in us, and for millions of Americans rely on each day helping us tell the stories that matter. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL 2019 to make sense of the events and ideas shaping our world. Making the most of this year was a team effort. With your continued partnership, As I reflect on all we achieved together I’m confident 2020 will be one of our in 2019, I want to extend my sincerest strongest too. thanks to the many people who made possible what you’re about to read in the Onward! following pages. Thanks to our hard-working reporters, producers, editors and hosts committed to balanced truth-telling during an era of rapid-fire news and misinformation; John Lansing, President and CEO 5 6 IN THEIR WORDS You have been my morning news, morning companion and impetus to face more days/years than I can express. Thank you for being the sanity, REPORT ANNUAL 2019 intellect and humor so critical to news media today. Thank you for the sacrifices all of you have made through the years, and continue to make in this economy to work for NPR and for excellence in your profession. This member will be forever grateful.” —LESLIE, PENNSYLVANIA 8 ENGAGEMENT ON 2019 BY THE ALL PLATFORMS MOST TALKED ABOUT 11,275,400 NUMBERS 5 weekly podcast users GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN With your support, NPR is reaching 11,505,200 more people in more ways weekly visitors to NPR.org 6 500+ LISTENER EMAILS 27,965,900 during coverage of the 35-day partial SERVING MORE OF THE PUBLIC weekly broadcast listeners of all NPR government shutdown in early 2019. MILLION PEOPLE programming and newscasts 7 downloaded an NPR podcast each 3,148,600 month in 2019 2 LINCOLN MEMORIAL CONFRONTATION weekly users for digital livestreams on 8 A 24% increase mobile, desktop and smart speakers 21 from 2018 and the biggest podcast audience in the U.S. 6+ AVERAGE HOURS 250+ spent listening to the NPR One LISTENER EMAILS app each month9 132 REPORT ANNUAL 2019 following coverage of a widely circulated MILLION PEOPLE video of a confrontation at the Lincoln each month listened Memorial involving an Omaha Tribe elder, to, read or watched students from Covington Catholic High School NPR content across and members of the Black Hebrew Israelites. broadcast, podcasts YOUR TOP and NPR.org 1 STORIES The largest cross- PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TWEETS platform audience in NPR’s history MOST READ “How Inuit Parents Teach Kids To Control Their Anger” by Michaeleen Doucleff and Jane Greenhalgh, March 13, 2019 450+ LISTENER EMAILS Collectively, NPR.org readers spent nearly 16 years’ worth of time reading this story. 10 after NPR reported that President Donald Trump used racist language in tweets about four first-term congresswomen. own and operate over 1,000 stations MOST SHARED delivering news “Farmers Got Billions From Taxpayers In and information to 2019, And Hardly Anyone Objected” by IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY communities Dan Charles, December 31, 2019 throughout the U.S.3 Facebook users shared this NPR report 265 98.5% of the country over 7,000 times. 11 lives within range of MEMBERS an NPR station signal 4 700+ LISTENER EMAILS MOST DOWNLOADED related to NPR’s coverage of the impeachment 1 Nielson, Splunk, Google Analytics and comScore, Fall 2019, based on deduplicated estimates 2 Podtrac, publishing based on unique monthly audience 3 As of December 13, 2019 “Approaching With Kindness” by inquiry, starting in September with reports 4 Based on 2010 Census data and NPR Station contour data from September 2018 5 Splunk, NPR Podcast Logs, Avg. Weekly Users, 2019 6 Google Analytics, Avg. Weekly Users, 2019 7 © 2020 The Nielsen Company, Fall 2019, P12+. May not be quoted or reproduced without the prior written permission of Nielsen. 8 Triton, Webcast Metrics, NPR & Member Station TED Radio Hour, January 18, 2019 about President Trump’s phone call with Streams, Avg. Weekly Users, 2019 9 Report Service, NPR One clients, monthly time spent listening per user, 2019 10 Chartbeat 11 Facebook Analytics 12 Splunk, NPR Podcast Logs Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Listeners downloaded this podcast episode 2.5 million times. 12 9 10 ONLY ON PUBLIC RADIO Beyond the big headlines, you helped deliver Photo Credits 1 Ariel Davis for NPR 2 Rachel Wasser 3 Ryan Kellman/NPR 4 Rob Schmitz/NPR 5 NPR Visuals Team 6 NPR.org screenshot unparalleled coverage throughout the year JUN JAN FEB APR MAY 05 28 25 07 Restraint And MAR 04 Seclusion In 4 Schools “The Other Side Of Anger” 1 Holding The Powerful Accountable 2 Exposing Uighur Imprisonment “Chronicles Of A Venezuelan 20 A joint NPR launches a science-based NPR breaks the news that Walmart Exodus” 3 NPR takes audiences inside investigation from series that explores how personal is eliminating its front-door greeter “vocational training centers” in Sticking With NPR, OPB and experience and culture shape how jobs, disproportionately affecting All Things Considered travels to South China, where officials are detaining The Story WAMU reveals we feel and express anger. Stories workers with disabilities. Walmart America to report on the perilous hundreds of thousands of Muslims that many U.S. from across the newsroom look then says it will extend the deadline journey of thousands of Venezuelans for having “extremist thoughts.” NPR shares a school districts at what we can learn from this for greeters with disabilities and find fleeing their country, contextualizing Those released describe these places report from North are chronically significant emotion. them new positions. the crisis there for those in the U.S. to NPR as concentration camps. State Public Radio underreporting chronicling the when students rebuilding of are physically Paradise, Calif. after restrained or last fall’s devastating isolated. These wildfire. With our controversial network of Member practices are stations, public radio meant to be used is able to report the as a last resort, impact of events when students long after other become a danger news outlets have to themselves or moved on. others. JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 29 21 03 04 19 03 “The CRISPR “The Plastic Tide” 5 “Heat And Health In “Off Script” “American Anthem” Discover A New Book—Or 2,000 6 Revolution” American Cities” NPR launches a comprehensive online NPR’s original NPR concludes its NPR’s Books Concierge returns, helping readers NPR tells the guide to plastic waste. The interactive An award-winning series brings ambitious, cross- connect to new voices and ideas through hand- exclusive, behind- resource helps readers understand investigation by NPR together newsroom series selected book recommendations.