NPR Senior Vice President and Editorial Director Nancy Barnes is departing the network.
NPR’s David Folkenflik wrote a detailed article for the network’s website, sharing that Barnes revealed her departure on Friday. It appears Barnes took issue with the creation of a Chief Content Officer position that would be above her in the hierarchy of the organization.
“As many of you have noted to me and others, there is increasingly overlap between the News and Programming divisions,” Barnes wrote in a memo to the staff. “Now is the right time for me to pursue some other opportunities.”
According to Folkenflik’s report, Barnes and NPR Senior Vice President for Programming and Audience Development Anya Grundmann “often disagreed on which podcasts or innovations to pursue”.
Calling her exit bittersweet, Barnes said she will remain on the job until at least late November.
