Building NPR's Strength With Diversity Is What Will Lee Is All About

quotNPR is at a very important moment in its life cyclequot Lee said quotThere are a lot of things we can do as a media company and there is a lot of growth to be captured in video and beyond the earquotUnder his direction NPR is continuing its push to diversify its audiences and expanding content that appeals to people of color younger listeners and users with diverse ideas Even its new marketing campaign quotMore Voices All Earsquot which launched late last year emphasizes that directionquotWe want to find more diversity and younger audiences and reach them in places where they might not necessarily consume NPRquot Lee explained quotThat39s our North StarquotAs a firsttime audio executive he brings a fresh perspective Most recently he was Senior Vice President and Head of Digital for Meredith Corp39s Entertainment Group He oversaw digital and video business for some of Meredith39s popular brands including People and Entertainment Weekly He also dipped into audio working to develop a SiriusXM channel for Entertainment Weekly and a foray into podcasting for People Before that stint he served as Vice President Of Digital Content and Programming for The Hollywood ReporterLee is a longtime NPR devotee who grew up listening to WILLAM Illinois Public Radio He used to ask his parents to donate to get as much WILL swag as possible He regularly tunes into KCRWFM Santa Monica KPCCFM Los Angeles WNYCFM New York and WQXRFM New York His favorite NPR podcasts include Throughline Invisibilia and Pop Culture Happy HourAt NPR Lee oversees technology research archives and data strategy content operations and member partnerships He said he39s impressed by the company39s massive network of assets which includes 251 member stations more than 3000 journalists nationwide and 18 international bureaus On the digital side NPR operates a popular website as well as the NPR One mobile app It also produces more than 40 podcastsIn a crowded audio industry that gets more competitive by the day Lee said this arsenal is what makes NPR stand apartquotThe difference maker is we have a real brand and a sonic connection texture and flavor that people really understandquot he said quotIt is very recognizable And when someone downloads an NPR podcast they39re going to get real valuequotLooking ahead Lee said he wants to expand NPR39s relationship with the member stations which he calls the company39s quotgreat competitive advantage and superpowerquot He envisions the local stations and NPR collaborating on advanced fundraising efforts and sharing more content quotBecause we have so much reach at the local level we have a unique opportunity that many other media companies do not havequot he addedAs NPR works to expand its audience the member stations can contribute fresh ideas and voices Lee noted Across the country NPR39s affiliates are producing more than 600 podcasts many of which can appeal to listeners nationwide Lee said For example at WUNCFM North Carolina Public Radio Anita Rao hosts Embodied a weekly podcast about sex and relationships a topic that transcends the local marketquotIt seems like every week I discover a podcast from a station I hadn39t heard about beforequot he noted quotIt39s amazing how much great work is happening around the country We can and should talk about the network39s podcasts in a much more expansive wayquotAnother item high on Lee39s todo list is expanding NPR39s video content Video he said is highly complementary to NPR39s strong audio assets and storytelling To date NPR has dipped into video with its popular Tiny Desk concert series and video news dispatches from Ukraine and Lee wants to build on those effortsquotJust because there is an 39R39 in our name doesn39t mean we can39t have a FAST channel or a more developed video news strategyquot he asserted A FAST channel is a free adsupported video channel for streaming distribution quotThe next step is to make video a business and a destinationquotAs he surveys NPR39s revenuegenerating opportunities Lee said he would like to develop more live events including festivals and live podcast shows He envisions mining NPR39s vast archives to create documentaries Building the brands of popular podcast franchises like Life Kit is another one of his ambitionsLee also wants to find new ways to showcase NPR39s deep bench of highly respected journalists producers and podcast hostsDiversity is a key objective with all of that NPR39s future quotis all about creating more entry points for younger and more diverse audiencesquot Lee concluded quotWe need to diversify revenue and figure out where the NPR brand can be relevant and serve the consumersquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Building NPR's Strength With Diversity Is What Will Lee Is All About

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Alli Romano

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