Christy Tanner named new CEO of New York Public Radio

Christy Tanner has been named the new chief executive of New York Public Radio, the organization said Tuesday.

Tanner previously worked as executive vice president and managing editor of CBS News Digital, where she helped expand the network’s 24/7 streaming service into 89 countries. Her first jobs were as a reporter for the Associated Press and The Commercial Appeal, a newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee.

Tanner’s appointment comes amid continued turmoil for public media stations across the country. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting — long a source of grants to local stations — dissolved last month after Congress eliminated its funding.

News of Tanner’s appointment was earlier reported by The New York Times.

In an interview, Tanner said she is a “huge fan” of New York Public Radio, which is the parent organization of WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, Gothamist, New Jersey Public Radio and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space.

“The No. 1 priority to me is the culture of the organization, and close second or equal is public service and the audience,” Tanner said. “I obviously am bringing a lot of outside perspective and fresh eyes.”

After leaving CBS News Digital in 2021, Tanner worked as an executive at the consulting firm Coraly Partners. She currently sits on the boards of Audacy, Inc. and Swerve TV, which broadcasts combat sports and women’s sports.

Tanner succeeds LaFontaine Oliver, who stepped down as New York Public Radio’s CEO in July after serving for three years. Oliver is now the station’s executive chair, working on securing funding across the public media ecosystem.

NYPR Board Chair John Rose said in an interview that the organization engaged with more than 100 potential candidates. He said Tanner stood out because she listened to and read New York Public Radio’s work and had an “empathetic leadership style.”

Rose said Tanner has a balanced mandate.

“ It’s not a ‘blow it up.’ It’s not a ‘Gee, manage the status quo well,’” he said. “The media industry overall, and our universe of news and audio and culture, are being disrupted. So how do you navigate that universe for opportunity, not purely for defense?”

Tanner said she wanted to examine data and make decisions based on facts rather than a “golden gut.” She said the board hasn’t given her any specific directive or mission, and that she would work with current NYPR employees to determine where to invest time and resources.

She also said the organization should make greater use of artificial intelligence applications, specifically as it comes to optimizing donor engagement and improving content-management processes. There may also be possibilities to monetize the organization’s archives, she said.

“I believe we should be using AI-enabled tools to uphold the core of our work, which is public service, and includes creative output and journalistic output and improve the process of generating revenue,” Tanner said.

Public radio stations across New York lost $28 million in funding and eliminated 125 positions, according to budget testimony submitted last week by the State Association of Public Broadcasters.

Oliver has said New York Public Radio lost around $3 million from the collapse of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, representing roughly 4% of NYPR’s annual budget. The company was grappling with a budget imbalance even before Congress acted.

New York Public Radio reported losing $9.3 million in the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2024. The station eliminated 21 positions in February of 2025, representing about 7% percent of its workforce.

Oliver said before changing roles in 2025 that the company’s budget is currently balanced. Tanner and Rose said there was nothing in the organization’s finances that would prompt layoffs.

“We are looking at a stable foundation from which we can grow,” Tanner said. “My goal would be to grow that financial stability in order to provide the resources to do more great work and more impactful work.”

A company spokesperson declined to disclose Tanner’s salary. Oliver was paid $559,000 in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the organization’s tax filings.