Former NPR chief John Lansing '09/'21H dies at age 67

Former NPR chief executive John Lansing, a Bellarmine alumnus and former Bellarmine trustee, died Aug. 14 at his home in Wisconsin. He was 67.

Lansing, who had a long and illustrious career in cable television and broadcasting, had stepped down just six months ago from NPR, where he had been president and CEO since 2019.

During his tenure, NPR journalists reported on the pandemic from around the globe. They covered economic crises, mass protests around the country, and the war in Ukraine. NPR won its first Pulitzer Prize in 2021.

Lansing also oversaw what he defined as an "existential" financial crisis at NPR, the organization reported in its story about his death. Ten percent of the staff were laid off or took buyouts in early 2023.

His successor, CEO Katherine Maher, wrote in a note to NPR staffers that Lansing rose to the moment, according to the story. "He had a tremendous impact on NPR's workplace culture, understood the importance of NPR's mission to support democracy by informing the American public, and led the organization to rise to the challenge of an unprecedented global pandemic."

Before moving to NPR, Lansing was the first CEO of the U.S. agency for global media. He also spent more than 20 years working at Scripps, where he led the networks division that included HGTV, Food Network and the Travel Channel, among others.

Lansing graduated from Bellarmine University in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Communication after a journey that spanned nearly 30 years. He arrived on the campus in 1981; in 1985, just shy of completing his degree, he left to take the position of news director at a television station in Grand Rapids, Mich. After two years in Michigan, he became assistant news director and news director at KARE-TV in Minneapolis, then news director at WBBM-TV in Chicago. Following Chicago, he held leadership positions for stations in Cleveland and Detroit before joining the E.W. Scripps Co. in 2000.

In May 2008, he decided to return to Bellarmine to finish his degree, earning a BA in Communications in May 2009. In 2010, he was named to the Bellarmine University Gallery of Distinguished Graduates. He then served on the Bellarmine Board of Trustees from 2010-17, including a term as vice-chair from 2014-16.

In 2021, Bellarmine presented him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and he was the commencement speaker. He was also inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame that year. In 2023, Lansing was named Bellarmine University's Alumnus of the Year.

"John was a man of integrity. He was a wonderful ambassador for Bellarmine in his lifelong pursuit of journalistic excellence and his desire to support democracy by keeping the public informed," President Susan M. Donovan said. "We are saddened by the news of his passing, and our hearts are with his wife, Jean, and their children."