In her first four months on the job, the new CEO of New York Public Radio has swiftly eliminated many of its seniormost figures, surprising the organization’s staff and unsettling some of its remaining leaders.
Christy Tanner, a veteran of CBS News, took the helm at NYPR in early February. Since then, she has let many of its top figures go with little explanation to staff. She ousted CFO and COO Thomas Reno. She pushed out Jennifer Schell Podoll, the executive in charge of overseeing fundraising efforts. She decided to bring in a new head of communications to replace longtime VP of comms Jennifer Houlihan Roussel. And she dismissed the organization’s liaison to the board of trustees after an argument this spring. None of the departures have been announced publicly.
It’s not uncommon for a new CEO to bring in new leadership, and Tanner told The New York Times in February that part of her mission early on would be to shore up the public media organization’s finances. But the volume of departures has surprised other senior leaders, two of whom told Semafor that they were concerned Tanner didn’t have a plan to replace the people she fired, and were worried that the terminations would negatively affect the organization’s internal morale, and ability to raise money and recruit new talent. These questions were raised at an all-staff meeting earlier this year, three people who attended the meeting told Semafor.
In an interview on Friday with Semafor, Tanner said she could not comment on personnel decisions, but said that she has been committed to growing the organization. She told Semafor that NYPR plans to announce several new hires next month to editorial positions focused on expanding live events and streaming.
“In any evolution, there are necessary changes to help fuel growth and expansion, and I do not take those changes lightly,” she said. “My role and the role of the board of trustees [is] to protect the legacy and mission of the organization while also scaling and growing to meet the future. I was brought on to lead that change with humility and pragmatism.”
