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New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
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Liam Quigley
Published Oct 13, 2026
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By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 13, 2026
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New York Public Radio’s President and CEO is stepping down after just eight months on the job, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Christy Tanner started in February, taking the helm at the largest public radio station in the United States. She joined shortly after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provided funding for public media across the country, shut down due to funding cuts imposed by Congress and President Donald Trump.
New York Public Radio did not provide a reason for Tanner’s exit.
“The Board of Trustees thanks Christy for her contributions to NYPR and wishes her well,” the company wrote in a press release.
In a note she’d prepared for staff, Tanner said it had been an honor to “help build the foundation for the future of New York Public Radio.”
“I believe that when journalism and culture thrive, democracy thrives. I deeply respect the staff and the integrity of the news, programming and culture teams, and I am proud of what we accomplished together. I am looking forward to sharing what’s next for me soon,” Tanner wrote.
A three-person “temporary Office of the CEO” will oversee the organization until a permanent replacement is found, the New York Public Radio board announced in the press release. The group will consist of Tanner’s predecessor, LaFontaine Oliver, who will also serve as interim acting president; Jenna Weiss-Berman, the co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios who now oversees podcasts at Paper Kite Productions; and Gary Knell, a former president and CEO of National Public Radio.
“We’re grateful to Jenna, Gary, and LaFontaine for taking this on,” NYPR board chair John Rose wrote in a statement. “Together, they bring decades of experience in public media, journalism, and management, and deep knowledge of NYPR. We’re confident in their ability to support our staff and serve our audiences as we search for our next President and CEO.”
Tanner’s departure comes as New York Public Radio is digging out from a significant deficit and assessing its operations following the shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The organization is also wrestling with the changing media landscape, balancing broadcast radio and online content with audience demands for video and podcasts.
Then-NYPR CEO Christy Tanner at an event in April in the Jerome L. Greene Space with Mayor Mamdani.
Marika Hacking/Gothamist
New York Public Radio has an annual budget of more than $78 million, according to public filings. It is the parent organization for WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, Gothamist, New Jersey Public Radio and the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space.
Tanner succeeded Oliver, who stepped down as CEO in July 2025 after three years and moved into a new role as executive chair. Her hiring followed an extensive search that NYPR Board Chair John Rose said engaged with more than 100 potential candidates. Tanner had corporate and digital media credentials, including a run as the executive vice president and managing editor of CBS News Digital. She also served as an executive at consulting firm Coraly Partners.
At the time, Rose said Tanner had an “empathetic leadership style” that made her stand out.
Tanner began her career in journalism as a reporter working for a newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee and the Associated Press.
When hired, she pitched a vision of modernizing NYPR and emphasized using artificial intelligence for donor engagement.
“I believe we should be using AI-enabled tools to uphold the core of our work, which is public service, and includes creative output and journalistic output and improve the process of generating revenue,” Tanner said at the time.
Her time at the station was also marked by executive turnover. In the first few months of Tanner’s tenure, three senior leaders left the organization: chief operating and financial officer Tom Reno, vice president of communications Jennifer Houlihan Roussel and chief development officer Jennifer Schell Podoll.
Tanner launched a strategic planning process in July to redefine the station’s future.
The station has been digging out from a $9.3 million deficit in recent years and cut 7% of its workforce in 2025, leaving 21 people without work.
“We are looking at a stable foundation from which we can grow,” Tanner said at the time. “My goal would be to grow that financial stability in order to provide the resources to do more great work and more impactful work.”
Disclosure: This story was not reviewed by any NYPR executive prior to publication.
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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