washington —
John Lansing, who served as chief govt of the U.S. Agency for World Media, died Wednesday at his lakeside dwelling in Wisconsin at the age of 67. His reason of death used to be no longer precise away announced.
Lansing changed into the executive of the U.S. Agency for World Media, identified as USAGM, in 2015. The USAGM is the father or mother group that oversees outlets at the side of Exclaim of The US, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia.
In a written commentary, USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett called Lansing “a relentless recommend for press freedom, journalist security, and connecting of us all the map by strategy of the sphere in toughen of freedom and democracy.”
While CEO of USAGM, Lansing created a committee made up of the heads of every of the agency’s networks “so we could well also generally focus on by strategy of the recount of the sphere collectively,” Bennett mentioned.
“John did loads to modernize this agency,” mentioned Bennett. “From adopting a digital-first voice strategy, to improving recordsdata superhighway freedom initiatives, to renaming the agency USAGM from BBG — his imaginative and prescient used to be transformative.”
While leading USAGM, Lansing stood up for press freedom.
“Despite some very murky moments, now we occupy no longer been silenced,” he mentioned on World Press Freedom Day in 2019. “We can continue to document the reality. We can continue to seek out unique techniques to catch fair reporting and programming to global audiences who depend on it.”
Below Lansing’s management, USAGM networks elevated their global weekly target audience by extra than 100 million. He furthermore expanded the agency’s exclaim of platforms ranging from encrypted dwell broadcasting to shortwave radio in elaborate to push voice into countries that jam or ban American programming.
While Lansing led USAGM, the agency in 2017 launched Latest Time TV, a Russian-language TV and digital network led by RFE/RL in partnership with VOA.
Left ‘indelible sure impression’ at NPR
Lansing stepped down from his operate at USAGM in 2019. After leaving USAGM, he joined National Public Radio, the put he served as chief govt till stepping down early this year.
In an announcement, Lansing’s successor at NPR, CEO Katherine Maher, lauded how he understood the significance of NPR’s operate in supporting American democracy.
“John had a wide effect on NPR’s dilemma of commercial custom and led the group by strategy of some of its most complex times,” Maher mentioned within the commentary. “His dedication to improving NPR’s target audience and workers vary has left an indelible sure impression.”
Maher mentioned Lansing “inspired those around him with his integrity and compassion, and his loss will likely be felt deeply by our workers and all the map by strategy of the general public radio machine.”
Lansing led NPR at some stage within the COVID-19 pandemic, which began lovely months into his open at the ideas outlet. In the course of his tenure at NPR, the outlet won extra than 90 awards for its reporting, at the side of its first Pulitzer in 2021.
Profession incorporated leading Scripps
Lansing started in journalism when he used to be 17 years ragged at a local television put of dwelling in Kentucky. Later in his profession, he served for 9 years as president of the Scripps Networks, which oversees stations similar to the Food Community and the Commute Channel.
He furthermore served as CEO of Cable & Telecommunications Affiliation for Marketing and marketing, a marketing association made out of 90 of the tip U.S. and Canadian cable firms and television programmers.
Lansing is survived by his wife Jean, and their four youngsters, Alex, Jackson, Nicholas and Jennifer.
