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 acts as a national syndicator, providing content and programming to over 1,000 public radio stations across the United States. NPR plays a significant role in disseminating news, cultural programming, and diverse perspectives to a wide audience through its network of affiliated stations.

1967: Public Broadcasting Act

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act into law, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which also created the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for television in addition to NPR.

February 26, 1970: NPR Replaces National Educational Radio Network

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

1970: Legal Name

Since 1970, National Public Radio remains the legal name of the group.

April 20, 1971: First NPR Broadcast

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

May 3, 1971: All Things Considered Premiere

On May 3, 1971, the afternoon drive-time newscast All Things Considered premiered, first hosted by Robert Conley.

1977: Merger with Association of Public Radio Stations

In 1977, NPR merged with the Association of Public Radio Stations, transitioning from primarily a production and distribution organization.

November 5, 1979: Morning Edition Premiere

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

1983: Funding changes

During the 1970s and early 1980s, the majority of NPR funding came from the federal government. Steps were taken during the Reagan administration in the 1980s to completely wean NPR from government support, but the 1983 funding crisis forced the network to make immediate changes.

1983: Financial Setback

In 1983, NPR faced a near-fatal setback due to a deficit of nearly $7 million caused by expansion efforts, leading to a Congressional investigation and the resignation of NPR's then-president Frank Mankiewicz.

January 1994: Delano Lewis Appointment

In January 1994, Delano Lewis left his position as president of 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 Resignation

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, the director of the International Broadcasting Bureau, as its president and chief executive officer.

1998: Lisa Simeone joins NPR

In 1998, Lisa Simeone started to work for NPR.

1999: Founding of Public Interactive

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

November 2002: NPR West Opens

In November 2002, NPR West, a 25,000-square-foot production facility in Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, opened to expand production capabilities and improve coverage of the western United States.

2002: Lisa Simeone leaves NPR

In 2002, Lisa Simeone stopped working for NPR.

November 2003: Joan B. Kroc Estate Gift

In November 2003, NPR received $235 million from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, the widow of Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's Corporation. This 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 founded in 1999, turning it into a non-profit.

2004: Budget Increase

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

August 2005: Podcasting Launch

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: Budget Amount

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

September 2006: Ken Stern Appointment

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

March 2008: Ken Stern to Step Down

In March 2008, the NPR Board announced that Ken Stern would be stepping down from his role as chief executive officer, following conflict with NPR's board of directors "over the direction of the organization", including issues NPR's member station managers had had with NPR's expansion into new media "at the expense of serving" the stations that financially support NPR.

July 2008: NPR Acquires Public Interactive from PRI

By July 2008, Public Interactive served 325 public radio and television stations. By the end of July 2008, NPR acquired Public Interactive from PRI.

December 10, 2008: Workforce Reduction and Program Cancellations

On December 10, 2008, NPR announced it would reduce its workforce by 7% and cancel the news programs Day to Day and News & Notes due to a drop in corporate underwriting following the economic crisis of 2008.

2008: NPR's Weekly Listeners

In 2008, NPR had 20.9 million weekly listeners.

2008: NPR's Facebook Page Launch

In 2008, NPR's Facebook page was started by college student and fan Geoff Campbell. It was quickly taken over by the organization and has grown to nearly 4 million fans.

2008: Record Reach

In the fall of 2008, NPR programming reached a record 27.5 million people weekly, according to Arbitron ratings figures. NPR stations reached 32.7 million listeners overall.

March 2, 2009: Vivian Schiller Discusses Underwriting Revenue Decline

On March 2, 2009, NPR's then-president and CEO Vivian Schiller addressed the decline in underwriting revenue during a speech broadcast on C-SPAN before the National Press Club, noting it was down for everyone in media.

2009: CPB Revenue Funding

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

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

2009: NPR Bans Use of the Word "Torture"

In 2009, NPR banned the use of the word "torture" in regard to the George W. Bush administration's employment of so-called "Enhanced interrogation techniques", leading to controversy.

June 2010: NPR Brand Emphasis

In June 2010, NPR announced a conscious effort to consistently refer to itself as NPR on-air and online, as NPR is the common name for the organization.

October 2010: Open Society Institute Grant

In October 2010, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute to begin a project called Impact of Government, aiming to add at least 100 journalists at NPR member radio stations in all 50 states.

October 20, 2010: NPR Terminates Juan Williams's Contract

On October 20, 2010, NPR terminated Senior News Analyst Juan Williams's independent contract over remarks he made on the Fox News Channel regarding Muslim head coverings.

2010: Revenue Total

In 2010, NPR revenues totaled $180 million, with the bulk of revenues coming from programming fees, grants from foundations or business entities, contributions and sponsorships.

January 4, 2011: Ellen Weiss given Ultimatum to Resign or be Fired

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

January 6, 2011: Ellen Weiss Quits NPR

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

March 2011: James O'Keefe's Secret Recording of NPR Executive

In March 2011, James O'Keefe secretly recorded a discussion with Ronald Schiller, NPR's outgoing senior vice president for fundraising, leading to controversy. CEO Vivian Schiller later resigned over the fallout.

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.

March 2011: WNYC Addresses Liberal Bias Allegations

In March 2011, NPR station WNYC in New York City's On the Media program delved into the question of purported liberal bias. Studies with differing results were highlighted.

2011: Online Advertising Network Roll-out

In 2011, NPR announced the roll-out of their own online advertising network, which allows member stations to run geographically targeted advertisement spots from national sponsors that may otherwise be unavailable to their local area, opening additional advertising-related revenue streams to the broadcaster.

2012: Pew Research Center survey about NPR Audience

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 News Consumption Survey, 54% of regular NPR listeners were college graduates and 21% had some college. The survey also showed NPR listeners have higher incomes than average.

2012: Federal Funding Percentage

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

April 2013: NPR Headquarters Move

In April 2013, NPR moved from 635 Massachusetts Avenue NW to new offices and production facilities at 1111 North Capitol Street NE. Weekend Edition Saturday was the first show to be broadcast from the new studios.

June 2013: Talk of the Nation Cancellation

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

September 2013: Voluntary Buyout Plan

In September 2013, NPR offered a voluntary buyout plan to certain employees to reduce staff by 10 percent and return NPR to a balanced budget by the 2015 fiscal year.

2013: Launch of Center Stage with Squarespace

In 2013, NPR launched Center Stage, a native advertising and banner ad feature on the NPR homepage, above-the-fold. Squarespace was the launch partner for Center Stage.

2013: Impact of Government goal

The $1.8 million grant accepted in 2010 from the Open Society Institute was meant to add at least 100 journalists at NPR member radio stations in all 50 states by 2013 for the project called Impact of Government.

July 2014: NPR One App Launched

In July 2014, NPR launched NPR One, an app for iOS and Android smartphones and other mobile devices, to stream local NPR stations and listen to NPR podcasts.

2014: NPR to Increase Revenue via Underwriting

In 2014, NPR CEO Jarl Mohn announced that the network would increase revenue by focusing on brands relevant to the audience for underwriting NPR programs and requesting higher rates from them.

2014: Pew Reports Listener Trust in NPR

In 2014, Pew reported that 55% of adults who had heard of NPR trusted it, similar to trust levels for CNN, NBC, and ABC.

March 2015: Podcast Popularity

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

November 2, 2015: Board of Directors Expansion

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

2015: NPR Terrestrial Public Radio and Podcast Audience Demographics

According to 2015 figures, NPR's terrestrial public radio audience was 87% white, and the podcast audience was 67% white.

2015: Balanced budget goal

In September 2013, NPR offered a voluntary buyout plan to certain employees to reduce staff by 10 percent and return NPR to a balanced budget by the 2015 fiscal year.

2016: NPR One Listed as One of 2016's "Best Apps"

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

2016: Uri Berliner's Statements on NPR's Left-Wing 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.

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

On July 4, 2017, NPR used Twitter to broadcast an annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. The tweets were met with opposition, as 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, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director. Following a report on the accusations, NPR put Oreskes on administrative leave, and he subsequently resigned at the request of the CEO.

2017: Nielsen Ratings for Morning Edition and All Things Considered

According to 2017 Nielsen ratings data, NPR's Morning Edition drew 14.63 million listeners a week, and All Things Considered had 14.6 million listeners a week.

2017: NPR Reaches High of Weekly Listeners

NPR reached a high of 37.7 million weekly listeners in 2017.

March 2018: Drive-time program audience size

In March 2018, NPR's drive-time programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, attracted audiences of 14.9 million and 14.7 million per week, 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 Total Operating Revenues

For the year ended September 30, 2018, NPR's total operating revenues were $235 million.

December 2018: Remote Audio Data (RAD) Launch

In December 2018, NPR launched a new podcast analytics technology called Remote Audio Data (RAD), which allows sharing listening metrics from podcast applications straight back to publishers with respect for user privacy.

December 2018: Temporary Staffing Levels

In December 2018, it was reported that between 20 and 22 percent of NPR staff was classified as temps, while this compares to about five percent of a typical for-profit television station.

2018: Public Radio International Merges with PRX

In 2018, Public Radio International (PRI) merged with Public Radio Exchange (PRX), creating competition for programming slots on public radio stations with NPR and American Public Media (APM).

September 2019: NPR Operating Revenues Increase

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

2019: Pew Survey Finds NPR Audience Leans Heavily Democratic

A late 2019 survey by Pew Research Center found that NPR's audience overwhelmingly leaned Democratic. 87% of those surveyed identified as Democrats, or leaning Democratic, and 12% were Republicans.

April 2020: Kelly McBride Appointed Public Editor

In April 2020, Kelly McBride became the Public Editor for NPR.

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.

2020: Budget release

In 2020, NPR released a budget for FY21 anticipating revenue of $250 million, a slight decrease from the prior year due to impacts of COVID-19. The budget anticipated $240 million in operating expenses, plus additional debt service and capital costs that lead to a cash deficit of approximately $4 million. The budget included $25 million in budget cuts.

July 16, 2021: Automattic Acquires Pocket Casts from NPR

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

July 4, 2022: NPR does not hold annual Declaration of Independence reading

On July 4, 2022, NPR did not hold its annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. Instead, host Steve Innskeep held a discussion on "what equality means" with two historians, referencing the recent Dobbs decision and voting rights, and contrasting Thomas Jefferson's use of "All men are created equal" in the Declaration with his participation in slavery.

November 2022: Spending Reduction Announcement

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

2022: NPR Weekly Listeners

According to NPR's 2022 data, 30.7 million listeners tuned into NPR programs each week.

2022: Dollar Equivalence

In 1983, NPR suffered an almost fatal setback when efforts to expand services created a deficit of nearly $7 million (equivalent to $19 million in 2022 dollars).

February 2023: Workforce Layoffs

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

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

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

April 8, 2023: Twitter changes NPR's account designation

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

2023: NPR Partners with Spotify for Targeted Advertisements

In 2023, NPR partnered with Spotify to run targeted advertisements through the Spotify Audience Network platform within NPR programming when NPR has empty slots available.

2023: Uri Berliner's Statements on NPR's Left-Wing 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.

January 2024: Katherine Maher Named New CEO

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

January 2024: Board of directors

As of January 2024, the board of directors of NPR included the following members.

July 2024: NPR Evaluated as "Independent Public Media"

As of July 2024, the Media and Journalism Research Center evaluated NPR to be "Independent Public Media" under its State Media Matrix.

October 2024: NPR Programs Still in Production

As of October 2024, NPR programs still in production were listed.

2024: Uri Berliner's Statements on NPR's Left-Wing Bias

January 31, 2025: Pentagon Workspace Relocation

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 on the Correspondents' Corridor in the Pentagon.