History of NPR in Timeline

National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization based in Washington, D.C., and Culver City, California. It functions as a national syndicator, providing content to over 1,000 public radio stations across the United States. NPR plays a significant role in disseminating news, cultural programming, and other information to a wide audience through its network of member stations.

1967: Public Broadcasting Act passed in 1967

In 1967, the Public Broadcasting Act was passed, leading to the creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which in turn created NPR and PBS.

February 26, 1970: NPR Replaces National Educational Radio Network

On February 26, 1970, NPR replaced the National Educational Radio Network.

1970: National Public Radio legal name since 1970

Since 1970, National Public Radio has been the legal name of NPR.

April 20, 1971: NPR's first broadcast

On April 20, 1971, NPR aired its first broadcast, covering United States Senate hearings on the Vietnam War.

May 3, 1971: All Things Considered premiered

On May 3, 1971, All Things Considered premiered, hosted by Robert Conley.

1977: NPR merged with the Association of Public Radio Stations in 1977

In 1977, NPR merged with the Association of Public Radio Stations.

November 5, 1979: Morning Edition premiered

On November 5, 1979, Morning Edition premiered, hosted by Bob Edwards.

1983: Funding Crisis in 1983

During the 1970s and early 1980s, the majority of NPR funding came from the federal government, but the 1983 funding crisis forced the network to make immediate changes.

January 1994: Delano Lewis becomes NPR's CEO and president

In January 1994, Delano Lewis left his position at C&P Telephone to become NPR's CEO and president.

1994: NPR Cancels Mumia Abu-Jamal Commentaries

In 1994, NPR cancelled a series of commentaries by Mumia Abu-Jamal on All Things Considered after objections from the Fraternal Order of Police and members of the U.S. Congress.

August 1998: Delano Lewis resigns

In August 1998, Delano Lewis resigned from his position as NPR's CEO and president.

November 1998: Kevin Klose hired as president and CEO

In November 1998, NPR's board of directors hired Kevin Klose as its president and chief executive officer.

1999: Public Interactive Founded

In 1999, Public Interactive, an independent, for-profit company, was founded.

November 2002: NPR West Opens in Culver City

In November 2002, NPR West, a 25,000-square-foot production facility, opened in Culver City, Los Angeles County, California.

November 2003: NPR receives donation from Joan B. Kroc Estate

In November 2003, NPR received $235 million from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, the widow of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's Corporation. It was the largest monetary gift ever to a cultural institution.

June 2004: PRI Acquires Public Interactive

In June 2004, Public Radio International (PRI) acquired Public Interactive, a for-profit company focused on digital media services for public broadcasting.

2004: Kroc gift increases NPR's budget

In 2004, the Kroc gift increased NPR's budget by over 50% to $153 million, with $34 million going to its endowment.

August 2005: NPR Enters Podcasting

In August 2005, NPR entered podcasting with a directory of over 170 programs created by NPR and member stations.

2005: NPR most trusted news source

A Harris telephone survey conducted in 2005 found that NPR was the most trusted news source in the United States.

2005: NPR's Budget in 2005

In 2005, NPR's budget was about $120 million.

September 2006: Ken Stern becomes chief executive

In September 2006, Ken Stern became chief executive of NPR.

March 2008: Ken Stern to Step Down as CEO

In March 2008, the NPR Board announced that Ken Stern would be stepping down as chief executive officer, following conflict with NPR's board of directors.

July 2008: NPR Acquires Public Interactive

By July 2008, Public Interactive had "170 subscribers who collectively operate 325 public radio and television stations". At the end of that month, NPR acquired Public Interactive from PRI.

December 10, 2008: NPR Reduces Workforce and Cancels Programs

On December 10, 2008, NPR announced a 7% workforce reduction and the cancellation of the news programs Day to Day and News & Notes due to a drop in corporate underwriting.

2008: NPR Listenership Numbers

In 2008, NPR had a total of 20.9 million listeners each week.

2008: NPR's Facebook Page

In 2008, NPR's Facebook page, initially started by a college student, was taken over by the organization. It grew to nearly 4 million fans.

2008: NPR Programming Reach

In the fall of 2008, NPR programming reached a record 27.5 million people weekly, and NPR stations reached 32.7 million listeners overall.

March 2, 2009: Vivian Schiller Speech on Underwriting

On March 2, 2009, NPR's then president and CEO Vivian Schiller addressed the National Press Club, discussing the decline in corporate underwriting revenues and foundation grants during the recession. She noted the impact was similar across all media.

2009: Federal Funding for Public Radio Broadcasting Stations

According to CPB, in 2009 11.3% of the aggregate revenues of all public radio broadcasting stations were funded from federal sources, principally through CPB.

2009: Corporate Sponsorship of NPR

As of 2009, corporate sponsorship comprised 26% of the NPR budget.

2009: NPR Bans Use of "Torture"

In 2009, NPR controversially banned the use of the word "torture" when referring to the George W. Bush administration's "enhanced interrogation techniques."

2009: NPR Revenues

In 2009, about 50% of NPR revenues came from fees charged to member stations for programming and distribution. Member stations received funds through on-air pledge drives, corporate underwriting, government funding, educational institutions, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

June 2010: NPR focuses on using "NPR" brand

In June 2010, NPR announced a conscious effort to consistently refer to itself as "NPR" on-air and online, as it is the common name and used in the tagline "This ... is NPR".

October 2010: NPR receives grant from Open Society Institute

In October 2010, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute for the Impact of Government project to add journalists at NPR member radio stations.

October 20, 2010: NPR Fires Juan Williams

On October 20, 2010, NPR terminated Senior News Analyst Juan Williams's contract following remarks he made on Fox News.

2010: NPR Revenues in 2010

In 2010, NPR revenues totaled $180 million, primarily from programming fees, grants, contributions, and sponsorships.

January 4, 2011: Weiss ultimatum

On January 4, 2011, Ellen Weiss, NPR's top news executive at the time, was given an ultimatum to either resign or be fired.

January 6, 2011: Weiss Quits

On January 6, 2011, NPR announced that Ellen Weiss had quit.

March 2011: James O'Keefe sting and Vivian Schiller Resignation

In March 2011, James O'Keefe's partners secretly recorded a discussion with Ronald Schiller, NPR's outgoing SVP for fundraising, resulting in controversial remarks. CEO Vivian Schiller, who is not related to Ronald, later resigned.

March 2011: NPR Restructuring Proposal

In March 2011, NPR revealed a restructuring proposal in which Boston-based Public Interactive would become NPR Digital Services, separate from the Washington D.C.–based NPR Digital Media, which focuses on NPR-branded services.

March 2011: WNYC Discusses Liberal Bias

In March 2011, NPR station WNYC in New York City explored the question of alleged liberal bias on its On the Media program.

2011: NPR Announces Online Advertising Network

In 2011, NPR announced the roll-out of their own online advertising network.

2012: Pew Research Center Survey

A 2012 Pew Research Center survey found that the NPR audience leans Democratic (17% Republican, 37% independent, 43% Democratic) and politically moderate (21% conservative, 39% moderate, 36% liberal).

2012: Pew Research Center 2012 News Consumption Survey

According to the 2012 Pew Research Center 2012 News Consumption Survey, NPR listeners tend to be highly educated, with 54% of regular listeners being college graduates and 21% having some college. NPR's audience is almost exactly average in terms of the sex of listeners (49% male, 51% female). NPR listeners have higher incomes than average (the 2012 Pew study showed that 43% earn over $75,000, 27% earn between $30,000 and $75,000).

2012: Federal Funding for Public Radio

In 2012, 10.9% of the revenues for Public Radio came from federal sources.

April 2013: NPR Moves Headquarters

In April 2013, NPR moved to new offices and production facilities at 1111 North Capitol Street NE.

June 2013: NPR Cancels Talk of the Nation

In June 2013, NPR canceled the weekday call-in show Talk of the Nation.

September 2013: Voluntary Buyout Plan Offered

In September 2013, NPR offered a voluntary buyout plan to reduce staff by 10 percent and return to a balanced budget.

2013: Journalist target by 2013

By 2013, the project funded by the Open Society Institute aims to add at least 100 journalists at NPR member radio stations in all 50 states.

2013: Launch of Center Stage

In 2013, NPR launched Center Stage, which is a mix of native advertising and banner ads featured prominently on the NPR homepage above-the-fold. The launch partner for Center Stage was Squarespace.

July 2014: NPR One App Launched

In July 2014, NPR launched NPR One, an app for iOS and Android devices, to facilitate streaming local NPR stations and listening to NPR podcasts.

2014: NPR to Increase Revenue by Underwriting

In 2014, NPR CEO Jarl Mohn announced plans to increase revenue by partnering with brands more relevant to NPR's audience for program underwriting and by requesting higher rates.

2014: Pew Report on Trust in NPR

In 2014, Pew reported that, of adults who had heard of NPR, 55% of those polled trusted it; this was a similar level of listener trust as CNN, NBC, and ABC.

March 2015: NPR Podcast Downloads

By March 2015, NPR podcasts were downloaded 94 million times, and podcasts like Fresh Air and the TED Radio Hour made the iTunes Top Podcasts list.

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November 2, 2015: NPR Board of Directors Change

On November 2, 2015, NPR Members approved a change in the NPR Bylaws to expand the board of directors to 23 directors.

2015: NPR Audience Demographics

According to 2015 figures, 87% of the NPR terrestrial public radio audience and 67% of the NPR podcast audience is white.

2015: Balanced Budget Target by 2015

The voluntary buyout plan offered in September 2013 aimed to return NPR to a balanced budget by the 2015 fiscal year.

2016: NPR One Listed as Best App

In 2016, The New York Times listed NPR One as one of the "best apps".

2016: Uri Berliner states NPR bias

In 2024, veteran NPR journalist Uri Berliner stated that NPR demonstrated a left-wing bias in its reporting after the 2016 United States presidential election. Berliner subsequently resigned, citing disparagement by CEO Katherine Maher and her divisive views.

July 4, 2017: NPR uses Twitter to broadcast Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 2017, NPR used Twitter to broadcast the Declaration of Independence, but the 100+ tweets were met with opposition. Some online supporters of Donald Trump mistakenly believed the words of the Declaration referring to George III of the United Kingdom to be directed towards the president.

October 2017: Sexual harassment charges leveled against Michael Oreskes

In October 2017, sexual harassment charges were leveled against Michael Oreskes, senior vice president of news and editorial director. NPR put Oreskes on administrative leave, and the following day his resignation was requested.

2017: Nielsen Ratings for NPR Programs

According to 2017 Nielsen ratings data, NPR's Morning Edition is the network's most popular program, drawing 14.63 million listeners a week, with All Things Considered a close second, with 14.6 million listeners a week.

2017: NPR Listenership numbers

In 2017, NPR reached a high of 37.7 million listeners tuning in each week.

March 2018: Drive-time programs audience size

In March 2018, NPR's drive-time programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, had a weekly audience of 14.9 million and 14.7 million, respectively.

May 2018: NPR Acquires Pocket Casts

In May 2018, a group led by NPR acquired the podcasting app Pocket Casts.

September 30, 2018: NPR operating revenues

On September 30, 2018, NPR's total operating revenues reached $235 million.

December 2018: NPR Launches RAD

In December 2018, NPR launched a new podcast analytics technology called Remote Audio Data (RAD).

December 2018: NPR Staffing Levels

In December 2018, The Washington Post reported that between 20 and 22 percent of NPR staff was classified as temps.

2018: Public Radio International Merges with PRX

In 2018, Public Radio Exchange (PRX) merged with Public Radio International.

September 2019: NPR operating revenues

In September 2019, NPR's total operating revenues increased to almost $259 million.

2019: Pew Survey on NPR Audience

A late 2019 survey by Pew found that NPR's audience overwhelmingly leaned Democratic, with 87% identifying as Democrats or leaning Democratic, and 12% as Republicans.

April 2020: Kelly McBride becomes the Public Editor for NPR

In April 2020, Kelly McBride became the Public Editor for NPR, reporting to the president and CEO John Lansing.

2020: NPR declines to cover Hunter Biden laptop controversy

During the 2020 election, NPR declined to cover the controversy surrounding a New York Post article on the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, stating they didn't want to waste time on distractions.

2020: NPR's FY21 Budget

In 2020, NPR released a budget for FY21 anticipating revenue of $250 million and operating expenses of $240 million, with a cash deficit of approximately $4 million. The budget included $25 million in budget cuts.

July 16, 2021: Automattic Acquires Pocket Casts

On July 16, 2021, Automattic acquired the podcasting app Pocket Casts from NPR.

July 4, 2022: NPR does not broadcast Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 2022, NPR did not broadcast the Declaration of Independence as per tradition. Instead, host Steve Innskeep held a discussion on "what equality means" with two historians, referencing the recent Dobbs decision and voting rights.

November 2022: NPR Announces Spending Reduction

In late November 2022, NPR CEO John Lansing announced that NPR needed to reduce spending by $10 million due to a drop in revenue from sponsors.

2022: NPR Listenership Numbers

According to NPR's 2022 data, the number of listeners who tuned into its programs each week was 30.7 million.

2022: Value of 1983 deficit in 2022 dollars

In 1983 NPR suffered a deficit of nearly $7 million, which is equivalent to $19 million in 2022 dollars.

February 2023: NPR Announces Workforce Layoffs

In February 2023, NPR announced it would lay off approximately 10 percent of its workforce due to reduced advertising revenue.

April 5, 2023: NPR's Twitter account designated as "US state-affiliated media"

On April 5, 2023, NPR's main Twitter account was designated as "US state-affiliated media" following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform. NPR ceased activity on its main Twitter account in response to the designation.

April 8, 2023: Twitter changes NPR's designation to "government-funded"

On April 8, 2023, Twitter changed the designation of NPR's account from "state-affiliated" to "government-funded".

2023: NPR partners with Spotify

In 2023, NPR partnered with Spotify to run targeted advertisements through the Spotify Audience Network platform within NPR programming, utilizing slots NPR was otherwise unable to sell directly.

2023: Uri Berliner states NPR bias

In 2024, veteran NPR journalist Uri Berliner stated that NPR demonstrated a left-wing bias in its reporting after the 2016 United States presidential election, citing NPR's approach to coverage of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. Berliner subsequently resigned, citing disparagement by CEO Katherine Maher and her divisive views.

January 2024: Katherine Maher named new NPR CEO

In January 2024, NPR's board named former Wikimedia Foundation CEO Katherine Maher as its new CEO, effective late March.

January 2024: NPR Board of Directors members

As of January 2024, NPR had a board of directors.

October 2024: NPR programs still in production

As of October 2024, NPR programs are still in production.

2024: Uri Berliner states NPR bias

January 31, 2025: NPR Required to Move Out of Pentagon Workspace

On January 31, 2025, a Defense Department memo announced that NPR was among the major news outlets required to move out of its longtime workspace in the Pentagon.