History of NPR in Timeline
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It functions as a national syndicator, providing content to a network exceeding 1,000 public radio stations across the United States.
1934: Communications Act of 1934
In 1934, The Communications Act of 1934 was in effect.
1967: Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
In 1967, the Public Broadcasting Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which also created the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for television in addition to NPR.
February 26, 1970: NPR Replaced National Educational Radio Network
On February 26, 1970, NPR replaced the National Educational Radio Network, following the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.
1970: National Public Radio legal name since 1970
National Public Radio legal name has been since 1970.
May 3, 1971: All Things Considered Premiered
On May 3, 1971, All Things Considered premiered on NPR, hosted by Robert Conley.
1977: NPR merged with the 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 Premiered
On November 5, 1979, Morning Edition premiered on NPR, first hosted by Bob Edwards.
1981: Congress amended the Communications Act of 1934
In 1981, Congress amended the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize noncommercial station licensees to offer services and facilities in exchange for remuneration on the condition that it not interfere with their provision of public telecommunications services.
1981: 1981 amendment to the Communications Act established a temporary commission
The 1981 amendment to the Communications Act established a temporary commission to identify alternative sources of funding for public broadcasting.
1983: Funding Crisis
During the 1970s and early 1980s, the majority of NPR funding came from the federal government. The 1983 funding crisis forced the network to make immediate changes.
1983: NPR faced financial setback
In 1983, NPR faced a financial setback due to expansion efforts, leading to a significant deficit. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provided a loan to prevent bankruptcy, contingent on changes to NPR's funding structure.
1983: Temporary Commission releases report
In 1983, the temporary commission established in 1981 released its final report, finding that the prospect of significant advertising revenue was limited.
1984: FCC adopted a policy under the amendment
In 1984, the FCC adopted a policy under the amendment allowing noncommercial stations to broadcast underwriting spots from for-profit entities that provided donations or underwriting.
1988: NPR begins annual reading of US Declaration of Independence
In 1988, NPR began broadcasting an annual reading of the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence over the radio.
January 1994: Delano Lewis became 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's commentaries
In 1994, NPR cancelled a series of three-minute commentaries by Mumia Abu-Jamal, a journalist convicted of murdering Philadelphia Police officer Daniel Faulkner, after objections from the Fraternal Order of Police and members of the U.S. Congress.
August 1998: Delano Lewis Resigned
In August 1998, Delano Lewis resigned from his position as NPR's CEO and president.
November 1998: Kevin Klose Hired as NPR 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 working for NPR.
1999: Public Interactive Founded
In 1999, Public Interactive, an independent, for-profit company, was founded.
November 2002: NPR West Opened
In November 2002, NPR West, a production facility in Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, opened to expand NPR's production capabilities and improve coverage of the western United States.
November 2003: NPR Received Kroc Estate Gift
In November 2003, NPR received over $200 million from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, the widow of McDonald's Corporation founder Ray Kroc. 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, transforming it into a non-profit company.
2004: Kroc Gift Increased NPR's Budget
In 2004, the Kroc gift increased NPR's budget by over 50% to $153 million, with a portion deposited in its endowment. The interest from the bequest was intended to expand the news staff and reduce member stations' fees.
August 2005: NPR Entered 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
In 2005, a Harris telephone survey found that NPR was the most trusted news source in the United States.
September 2006: Ken Stern Became CEO
In September 2006, Ken Stern became NPR's chief executive, succeeding Kevin Klose, who remained as NPR's president.
2007: Government Accountability Office report
In 2007, a Government Accountability Office report about public television concluded that growth in such underwriting revenue was unlikely.
March 2008: Stern stepping down as CEO
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.
July 2008: Public Interactive Subscribers and Clients
By July 2008, Public Interactive had 170 subscribers operating 325 public radio and television stations, with clients like Car Talk, The World, and The Tavis Smiley Show.
December 10, 2008: NPR Announced Workforce Reduction
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 during the 2008 financial crisis.
2008: NPR Weekly Listenership Total
In 2008, NPR's weekly listenership totaled 20.9 million.
2008: NPR's Facebook Page Started
In 2008, college student and fan Geoff Campbell started NPR's Facebook page, which was quickly taken over by NPR.
2008: NPR Program Reach
In the fall of 2008, NPR programming reached a record 27.5 million people weekly, with NPR stations reaching 32.7 million listeners overall.
2008: Underwriting revenue for NPR member stations from 2008
Underwriting revenue for NPR member stations from 2008 through 2021 was mostly flat.
March 2, 2009: Vivian Schiller Speech on Corporate Underwriting
On March 2, 2009, then NPR president and CEO Vivian Schiller stated in a speech that underwriting was down for everyone, including NPR, during the recession.
2009: Federal Funding Percentage
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 NPR's budget.
2009: NPR Banned Use of '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."
2009: NPR Revenue Sources
In 2009, NPR's revenue was primarily derived from fees charged to member stations for programming and distribution, with member stations obtaining funds through pledge drives, corporate underwriting, government funding, educational institutions, and the CPB.
2009: Underwriting revenue for NPR member stations fell below 2009 levels
Underwriting revenue for NPR member stations from 2008 through 2021 fell below 2009 levels in 2021.
June 2010: NPR brand
In June 2010, NPR announced a conscious effort to consistently refer to itself as NPR on-air and online, solidifying its brand identity.
October 2010: NPR Accepted Grant from Open Society Institute
In October 2010, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute to fund the Impact of Government project, aiming to add at least 100 journalists at NPR member radio stations by 2013.
October 20, 2010: NPR fires Juan Williams
On October 20, 2010, NPR terminated Senior News Analyst Juan Williams's contract after remarks he made on the Fox News Channel regarding Muslim head coverings. The firing was made abruptly without a face-to-face meeting.
2010: NPR's Facebook Page Growth
By 2010, NPR's Facebook page had grown to nearly 4 million fans, reflecting the company's focus on a younger audience.
2010: NPR Revenues Totaled $180 Million
In 2010, NPR's revenues totaled $180 million, derived primarily from programming fees, grants from foundations or businesses, contributions, and sponsorships.
2010: Survey of NPR's Twitter Followers
In a 2010 survey, NPR found its Twitter followers were younger, more connected to the social web, and more likely to access content through digital platforms, including npr.org, podcasts, and mobile apps.
January 4, 2011: Ellen Weiss ultimatum
On January 4, 2011, Ellen Weiss, NPR's top news executive, was given an ultimatum to either resign or be fired, related to the firing of Juan Williams.
January 6, 2011: Ellen Weiss Quits NPR
On January 6, 2011, NPR announced that Ellen Weiss had quit, following the controversy surrounding the firing of Juan Williams.
March 2011: James O'Keefe secretly records Ronald Schiller
In March 2011, James O'Keefe secretly recorded a discussion with Ronald Schiller, NPR's outgoing senior vice president for fundraising, where Schiller made controversial remarks. CEO Vivian Schiller later resigned over the fallout.
March 2011: NPR Restructuring Proposal
In March 2011, NPR revealed a restructuring proposal where Boston-based Public Interactive would become NPR Digital Services, separate from the Washington D.C.–based NPR Digital Media.
March 2011: WNYC Delves into Liberal Bias Question
In March 2011, NPR station WNYC in New York City explored the topic of purported liberal bias on its On the Media program.
2011: NPR Announced Online Advertising Network
In 2011, NPR announced the roll-out of its online advertising network, enabling member stations to run geographically targeted ads from national sponsors, thus opening new revenue streams.
2012: Pew Research Center Survey on NPR Audience Political Leaning
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 News Consumption Survey
According to the 2012 Pew Research Center News Consumption Survey, NPR listeners tend to be highly educated, with 54% being college graduates.
2012: Federal Funding
In 2012, 10.9% of the revenues for Public Radio came from federal sources.
2012: CPB issues a report commissioned by Congress
In 2012, the CPB issued a report commissioned by Congress that corporate underwriting accounted for less than one-fifth of the revenue for public television and radio stations.
April 2013: NPR Moved Headquarters
In April 2013, NPR moved from its home of 19 years to new offices and production facilities at 1111 North Capitol Street NE.
June 2013: Talk of the Nation Canceled
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 some employees to reduce staff by 10 percent and return NPR to a balanced budget by the 2015 fiscal year.
2013: Impact of Government Project
By 2013, the $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute aimed to add at least 100 journalists at NPR member radio stations through the Impact of Government project.
2013: Center Stage Launched with Squarespace
In 2013, Center Stage, a form of native advertising, was launched on the NPR homepage in partnership with Squarespace.
July 2014: NPR One App Launched
In July 2014, NPR launched NPR One, an app for iOS and Android devices, to facilitate live streaming of local NPR stations and easy access to NPR podcasts.
2014: Pew Poll on Trust in NPR
A 2014 Pew poll reported that 55% of adults who had heard of NPR trusted it, a similar level of trust as CNN, NBC, and ABC.
2014: NPR's Twitter Presence
As of 2014, NPR had multiple Twitter accounts, with most respondents following between two and five, including topical, show-specific, and on-air staff accounts.
2014: NPR to Increase Revenue with Relevant Brands
In 2014, NPR CEO Jarl Mohn announced the network would increase revenue by partnering with brands deemed relevant to the audience and requesting higher rates for underwriting NPR programs.
March 2015: Podcast Downloads
By March 2015, NPR podcasts had been downloaded 94 million times, with programs like Fresh Air and the TED Radio Hour frequently appearing on the iTunes Top Podcasts list.
November 2, 2015: NPR Bylaws 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 Terrestrial and Podcast Audience Demographics
According to 2015 figures, 87% of the NPR terrestrial public radio audience and 67% of the NPR podcast audience is white.
2015: Corporate funding for the PBS News Hour ranged from 17% of total revenue
Corporate funding for the PBS News Hour ranged from 17% to 23% of total revenue from 2015 through 2022.
2015: Michael Oreskes becomes senior vice president of news and editorial director at NPR
In 2015, Michael Oreskes became senior vice president of news and editorial director at NPR.
2015: Balanced Budget Aim
In September 2013, a voluntary buyout plan was offered to return NPR to a balanced budget by the 2015 fiscal year.
2016: NPR Demonstrated a Left-Wing Bias in Its Reporting
In 2016, NPR demonstrated a left-wing bias in its reporting after the United States presidential election.
2016: NPR One Listed as One of the Best Apps
In 2016, The New York Times listed NPR One as one of the "best apps".
July 4, 2017: NPR's Declaration of Independence tweets met with opposition
On July 4, 2017, NPR's tweets of the Declaration of Independence were met with opposition, as some online supporters of Donald Trump believed the words were 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. He was put on administrative leave, and his resignation was requested.
2017: Nielsen Ratings for NPR Programs
According to 2017 Nielsen ratings data, NPR's Morning Edition draws 14.63 million listeners a week, while All Things Considered draws 14.6 million listeners a week.
2017: NPR Weekly Listenership High
In 2017, NPR's weekly listenership reached a high of 37.7 million.
March 2018: Drive-time Program Audiences
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: Total Operating Revenues
For the year ended September 30, 2018, NPR's total operating revenues were $235 million.
December 2018: RAD Launch
In December 2018, NPR launched Remote Audio Data (RAD), a new podcast analytics technology.
December 2018: Temporary Staff Percentage
In December 2018, The Washington Post reported that between 20 and 22 percent of NPR staff were classified as temps.
2018: PRI Merges with PRX
In 2018, Public Radio Exchange (PRX) merged with Public Radio International.
September 2019: Total Operating Revenues Increased
By September 2019, NPR's total operating revenues had increased to almost $259 million.
2019: Pew Survey Finds NPR Audience Leaning Democratic
A late 2019 survey by Pew found that NPR's audience overwhelmingly leaned Democratic, with 87% identifying as Democrats or leaning Democratic.
April 2020: Kelly McBride Became 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: FY21 Budget
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.
July 16, 2021: Automattic acquired Pocket Casts from NPR
On July 16, 2021, Automattic acquired the podcasting app Pocket Casts from NPR.
2021: NPR broadcast annual reading of US Declaration of Independence until 2021
From 1988 to 2021, NPR broadcast an annual reading of the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence over the radio.
2021: NPR Leveraging the Twitter Generation
In 2021, NPR was described as "leveraging the Twitter generation" through its use of the microblogging service as a primary source of information.
2021: Underwriting revenue for NPR member stations fell below 2009 levels
Underwriting revenue for NPR member stations from 2008 through 2021 fell below 2009 levels in 2021.
July 4, 2022: NPR cancels annual reading of Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 2022, NPR did not hold its annual tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence. Instead, host Steve Inskeep held a discussion on "what equality means" referencing the Dobbs decision and voting rights.
November 2022: Spending Reduction
In late November 2022, NPR announced it needed to reduce spending by $10 million due to a drop in revenue from sponsors.
2022: NPR Weekly Listenership
According to NPR's 2022 data, 30.7 million listeners tuned into NPR programs each week.
2022: Corporate funding for the PBS News Hour ranged from 23% of total revenue
Corporate funding for the PBS News Hour ranged from 17% to 23% of total revenue from 2015 through 2022.
2022: Equivalent to $19 million in 2022 dollars
The deficit of nearly $7 million dollars in 1983 was 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 the workforce due to reduced advertising revenue.
April 5, 2023: Twitter labels NPR as "US state-affiliated media"
On April 5, 2023, Twitter designated NPR's main Twitter account as "US state-affiliated media" following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform, leading NPR to cease activity on its main Twitter account in response.
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".
August 2023: Pew Research Center publishes analysis of CPB data
In August 2023, the Pew Research Center published analysis of CPB data which found that underwriting revenue for NPR member stations from 2008 through 2021 was mostly flat and fell below 2009 levels in 2021 following the COVID-19 recession.
2023: NPR Partners with Spotify for Targeted Ads
In 2023, NPR partnered with Spotify to run targeted advertisements through the Spotify Audience Network platform within NPR programming, utilizing empty ad slots.
January 2024: Katherine Maher Named CEO
In January 2024, NPR's board named 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 listed members.
October 2024: NPR Programs Still in Production
As of October 2024, there are several NPR programs still in production.
2024: Uri Berliner's Claims of Left-Wing Bias at NPR
In 2024, veteran NPR journalist Uri Berliner stated that NPR demonstrated a left-wing bias in its reporting after the 2016 election, citing coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop and other issues.
January 2025: FCC orders investigation of NPR member stations
In January 2025, FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered an investigation of PBS and NPR member stations for possible violations of FCC regulations prohibiting noncommercial broadcasters from airing advertisements.
January 31, 2025: Required to Move Out of Workspace
On January 31, 2025, NPR was among the news outlets required to move out of its workspace in the Pentagon under a new Annual Media Rotation Program for the Pentagon Press Corps.
March 2025: CPB files lawsuit against FEMA
In March 2025, the CPB filed a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for halting their funding under the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program.
May 1, 2025: Trump signs Executive Order 14290
On May 1, 2025, U.S. president Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14290, titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media", to end federal funding for NPR and PBS.
July 2025: Wind-Down of Operations and Furloughs
Following enactment of the rescissions law in July 2025, CPB announced an orderly wind-down of operations and furloughs as funding was withdrawn, while public broadcasters and allies signaled legal and legislative pushback.
October 2025: News Organizations Rejected Media Access Rules
In October 2025, major news organizations, including NPR, rejected new Defense Department media-access rules they said restricted independent reporting.
2025: Survey on Trust in Public Media
A 2025 survey of likely voters found 53% trusted public media in the United States compared to 35% for the media in general.
2025: Pew Research Center Poll on News Sources
A Pew Research Center poll in 2025 found that approximately 20% of Americans regularly get their news from NPR.
2025: The Rescissions Act of 2025 altered the financial outlook for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
In 2025, the Rescissions Act of 2025 altered the financial outlook for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) by reclaiming unspent allocations and reducing advance funding.
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