NPR CEO John Lansing will leave in December, capping a tumultuous year

NPR must be "digital first," says CEO John Lansing, who announced his departure on Tuesday. "Otherwise, we're really consigning NPR to a very difficult future as the audience ages." (Allison Shelley/NPR)

NPR chief executive John Lansing says he intends to retire at the end of 2023. His four-year tenure will be defined by his handling of the extreme challenges of the pandemic, a racial reckoning, and headwinds in the podcasting industry that led to severe layoffs.

"I haven't accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish, but I feel good about the time I had here," Lansing says in an interview.