History of NPR in Timeline
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C., and NPR West in Culver City, California. NPR acts as a national syndicator, providing content to a network exceeding 1,000 public radio stations across the United States. It's a key player in the American media landscape, offering news and programming to a wide audience through its network of affiliated stations.
1967: Public Broadcasting Act
In 1967, the Public Broadcasting Act was signed into law, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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, National Public Radio has remained the legal name of the organization.
May 3, 1971: All Things Considered Premiere
On May 3, 1971, All Things Considered premiered, hosted by Robert Conley.
1977: NPR Merges with Association of Public Radio Stations
In 1977, NPR merged with the Association of Public Radio Stations.
November 5, 1979: Morning Edition Premiere
On November 5, 1979, Morning Edition premiered, hosted by Bob Edwards.
1983: NPR Financial Crisis
In 1983, NPR faced a financial crisis due to expansion efforts, leading to a Congressional investigation and resignation of the president.
January 1994: Delano Lewis appointed CEO and president of NPR
In January 1994, Delano Lewis became NPR's CEO and president.
August 1998: Delano Lewis Resigns
In August 1998, Delano Lewis resigned from his position at NPR.
November 1998: Kevin Klose Hired as CEO
In November 1998, Kevin Klose was hired as NPR's president and chief executive officer.
November 2002: NPR West Opens
In November 2002, NPR West opened in Culver City, Los Angeles County, California.
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.
2004: Budget Increase
In 2004, the Kroc gift increased NPR's budget by over 50% to $153 million.
August 2005: NPR Enters Podcasting
In August 2005, NPR entered podcasting with a directory of over 170 programs.
September 2006: Ken Stern Becomes Chief Executive
In September 2006, Ken Stern became chief executive of NPR.
March 2008: Ken Stern Stepping Down
In March 2008, the NPR Board announced that Stern would be stepping down from his role as chief executive officer.
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.
2008: Record Reach
In the fall of 2008, NPR programming reached a record 27.5 million people weekly.
2009: Funding from Federal Sources
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: NPR Financial Statement
According to the 2009 financial statement, about 50% of NPR revenues come from the fees it charges member stations for programming and distribution charges.
2009: Corporate Sponsorship
As of 2009, corporate sponsorship comprised 26% of the NPR budget.
June 2010: NPR Branding Effort
In June 2010, NPR announced it would consistently refer to itself as NPR on-air and online, recognizing it as the common name.
October 2010: Open Society Institute Grant
In October 2010, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute for the Impact of Government project.
2010: NPR Revenues
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.
2011: Online Advertising Network Roll-Out
In 2011, NPR announced the roll-out of their own online advertising network.
2012: Funding from Federal Sources
According to CPB, in 2012 10.9% of the revenues for Public Radio came from federal sources.
April 2013: NPR Headquarters Move
In April 2013, NPR moved to new offices 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
In September 2013, NPR offered a voluntary buyout plan to reduce staff by 10 percent.
2013: Impact of Government Project
By 2013, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Institute intended to add at least 100 journalists at NPR member radio stations in all 50 states for the Impact of Government Project.
2013: Center Stage Launch
In 2013, Center Stage, a mix of native advertising and banner ad featured prominently on the NPR homepage, above-the-fold, was launched.
2014: Revenue Increase Strategy
In 2014, NPR CEO Jarl Mohn said the network would begin to increase revenue by having brands NPR views as more relevant to the audience underwrite NPR programs and requesting higher rates from them.
March 2015: Podcast Downloads
By March 2015, users had downloaded podcasts produced only by NPR 94 million times.
November 2, 2015: Board of Directors Expansion Approved
On November 2, 2015, NPR Members approved a change in the NPR Bylaws to expand the board of directors to 23 directors.
2015: Michael Oreskes becomes senior VP of news and editorial director
In 2015, Michael Oreskes became the senior vice president of news and editorial director at NPR.
2015: Return to Balanced Budget
In September 2013, NPR offered a voluntary buyout plan to return NPR to a balanced budget by the 2015 fiscal year.
October 2017: Sexual harassment charges against Michael Oreskes
In October 2017, senior vice president of news and editorial director Michael Oreskes faced sexual harassment charges stemming from incidents at both NPR and The New York Times. Following a report in The Washington Post, Oreskes was put on administrative leave.
March 2018: Drive-Time Program Audience
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.
December 2018: Remote Audio Data (RAD) Launched
In December 2018, NPR launched a new podcast analytics technology called Remote Audio Data (RAD).
December 2018: Temporary Staffing Levels
In December 2018, it was reported that between 20 and 22 percent of NPR staff was classified as temps.
April 2020: Kelly McBride Becomes Public Editor
In April 2020, Kelly McBride became the Public Editor for NPR.
2020: FY21 Budget
In 2020, NPR released a budget for FY21 anticipating revenue of $250 million.
November 2022: Spending Reduction Announcement
In late November 2022, NPR announced it needed to reduce spending by $10 million due to a drop in revenue.
2022: Dollar Equivalence
In 1983, NPR faced a deficit of nearly $7 million, equivalent to $19 million in 2022 dollars.
February 2023: Layoff Announcement
In February 2023, NPR announced it would be laying off approximately 10 percent of the workforce due to reduced advertising revenue.
April 8, 2023: Twitter changes NPR's account designation to "government-funded"
On April 8, 2023, Twitter changed the designation of NPR's account from "state-affiliated" to "government-funded".
April 2023: NPR's Twitter account labeled "US state-affiliated media"
In April 2023, after Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, NPR's main Twitter account was designated as "US state-affiliated media", a label typically reserved for foreign media outlets. In response, NPR ceased activity on its main Twitter account.
January 2024: Katherine Maher Named CEO
In January 2024, NPR's board named Katherine Maher its new CEO.
January 2024: Board of Directors
As of January 2024, the board of directors of NPR included the following members.
January 31, 2025: Pentagon Workspace Move
On January 31, 2025, a Defense Department memo announced that NPR must move out of its workspace in the Pentagon.
