At a time of great changes and challenges for public broadcasting, Christy Tanner has been named to one of the most prominent positions in American local public radio: She is the new president/CEO of New York Public Radio.
She succeeds LaFontaine Oliver, who remains as executive chair.
NYPR operates in the nation’s largest media market and includes WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, Gothamist, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space and New Jersey Public Radio.
“Tanner is a highly accomplished CEO and board director, an award-winning journalist and a longtime New Yorker,” the organization said.
“She is known for more than two decades of transformative media industry leadership in executive roles at CBS, TV Guide and The Washington Post Company. She serves as chair of Swerve Sports, a streaming TV company, and on the board of directors of Audacy, one of the nation’s largest audio companies.”
She began her career as a reporter and editor at the Associated Press and at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. She has had senior executive roles at the Washington Post and Reed Elsevier, and was CEO of TV Guide Digital.
NYPR noted her leadership of CBS News Digital starting in 2015, where she and her team “innovated what news could look like on mobile, audio, social and connected TV.”
Board of Trustees Chair John Rose called her “the leader NYPR needs at this moment” and described her as a pacesetter. “She recognizes our singular role in New York City, and the importance of reinforcing the trust we’ve earned with audiences over generations while having the vision to advance our services, platforms and formats to make the center of excellence that is NYPR sustainable for years to come.”
LaFontaine Oliver joined New York Public Radio in 2023. The organization made the decision last year to bring in a new CEO, according to Current, so he could focus on broader organizational issues rather than day-to-day operations.
