JARL MOHN RETIRES AS PRESIDENT/CEO OF NPR & MAKES A $10 MILLION DONATION TO THE ORGANIZATION

Jarl Mohn at the 2014 PRPD Conference in Portland

Jarl Mohn, NPR’s President and CEO, announced on Tuesday (12/4) that he will be stepping down at the end of June 2019. 

While Mohn’s decision was not a surprise, his departure will mean NPR has some big shoes to fill.

Also, when he made the announcement, Mohn surprised colleagues by saying he and his wife Pam are making a $10 million dollar donation to NPR.

Mohn joined NPR in 2014. His tenure as President and CEO has been consequential.  Under his leadership NPR news programming reached a record high number of Americans, fund raising showed continuous growth, NPR became the nation’s leading podcaster and the company gained powerful national clout.

Mohn will still play important roles for NPR after he exits the CEO job. According to a press release from NPR, Mohn will become President Emeritus, serve on the NPR Foundation Board and co-chair NPR's 50th anniversary capital campaign. 

He sent this message to NPR staff:

"My wife Pam and I are more committed than ever to helping NPR and public radio achieve long term financial stability, particularly at a time when journalism is under economic and political pressures.”

“We are so confident in the future of this organization that we are announcing our personal donation of $10 million to NPR as well as our long term personal commitment to the organization.”

“We invite others who care about quality journalism and public service to join us in investing in this remarkable institution and its journalists.”

NPR’s Board of Directors will be conducting a national search for the next President and CEO of the organization.

Jarl Mohn a/k/a Lee Masters early in his radio career

Mohn has had an amazing and often lucrative career in media. He came from a humble beginning. While attending Temple University on a scholarship, Mohn got a work-study job as an all-night board operator at WRTI. He took the air name Lee Masters and climbed the “DJ ladder” to the top, including an on-air personality at WNBC, New York.

He owned and managed radio stations until 1986 when became the head of MTV and VH1. Mohn moved to Los Angeles to manage a failing cable channel then called Movietime. He made a fortune when he turned the channel into E! Entertainment Television.

Mohn cashed in his business holdings in the early 2000s and, with his wife, turned to philanthropy. He joined the Board of South California Public Radio which led him to NPR.