Christy Tanner has been named the new chief executive of New York Public Radio, the organization said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Tanner previously worked as executive vice president and managing editor of CBS News Digital, where she helped expand the network\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Tanner\u2019s appointment comes amid continued turmoil for public media stations across the country. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting \u2014 long a source of grants to local stations \u2014 dissolved last month<\/a> after Congress eliminated its funding.<\/a><\/p>\n News of Tanner\u2019s appointment was earlier reported by The New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n In an interview, Tanner said she is a \u201chuge fan\u201d 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe No. 1 priority to me is the culture of the organization, and close second or equal is public service and the audience,\u201d Tanner said. \u201cI obviously am bringing a lot of outside perspective and fresh eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n Tanner succeeds LaFontaine Oliver, who stepped down as New York Public Radio\u2019s CEO in July after serving for three years. Oliver is now the station\u2019s executive chair, working on securing funding across the public media ecosystem.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s work and had an \u201cempathetic leadership style.\u201d<\/p>\n Rose said Tanner has a balanced mandate.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aIt’s not a \u2018blow it up.\u2019 It’s not a \u2018Gee, manage the status quo well,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThe 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?\u201d<\/p>\n Tanner said she wanted to examine data and make decisions based on facts rather than a \u201cgolden gut.\u201d She said the board hasn\u2019t given her any specific directive or mission, and that she would work with current NYPR employees to determine where to invest time and resources.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s archives, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d Tanner said.<\/p>\n Public radio stations across New York lost $28 million in funding and eliminated 125 positions, according to budget testimony submitted last week<\/a> by the State Association of Public Broadcasters.<\/p>\n