NPR has hired Michael Smith as its new chief marketing officer. He will step into the post beginning April 6. Smith’s career includes more than three decades in entertainment brand marketing, content, digital, and revenue-driving brand extensions. Most recently he was senior vice president and general manager of digital channels for Scripps Networks. Smith has also held roles working for the Cooking Channel, Food Network, the Disney Channel, and CBS.
“Michael is a strategic thinker and an extremely creative media executive who has spent his career finding new ways people consume content across an increasingly diverse audience population,” NPR President and CEO John Lansing said. “He is joining NPR at a time when we must extend the reach of our content beyond our traditional audiences to fully serve the American public and he is uniquely qualified to help us do so.”
“It’s essential to NPR’s future that its content and audience reflect America’s full diversity. As a Jamaican immigrant and avid NPR station and podcast listener, I’ve been personally engaged by the new and diverse voices in NPR’s content,” Smith said of his new position. “But NPR’s overall audience is still not very diverse. I believe the content has broad appeal to the next generation of audiences, we just need to get our story out to more people. I’m so excited to join a team of talented marketing and communications pros committed to this effort.”