When Vivian Schiller was named President and CEO of NPR in late 2008, she had never worked in radio – public or otherwise. She had worked in other media formats – running the popular New York Times website, and she had led the Discovery Times cable channel and CNN’s documentary unit.
But a lack of radio experience clearly wasn’t seen as a downside at NPR. The organization, in its own press, repeatedly talked about how Schiller was going to have to lead the network through the changing dynamics of the media landscape and emerge stronger on the other side.
For the past year and a half, Vivian Schiller has been talking about her vision for public radio and news in this country and reassuring stations that they have a key role in that vision.
She spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about NPR programs and the future of public radio.