NPR CEO to speak at Buskirk-Chumley

Vivian Schiller will bring more than 20 years of media experience to campus Monday, including work at National Public Radio, the New York Times and CNN.

Schiller, now president of NPR, will talk about “The Changing Face of Journalism” and is the second speaker in the fall School of Journalism speaker series.

Perry Metz, general manager of IU’s NPR affiliate, WFIU, said the station helped bring Schiller to IU.

“She is new to the presidency of NPR,” he said. “That automatically makes her a powerful force in news coverage.”

School of Journalism Director of Communications Beth Moellers said Schiller’s experience was a key factor in bringing her to IU.

“She brings a lot of diverse experience and forward thinking,” she said.

Schiller’s husband graduated from IU in 1982, and Schiller said he spoke highly of his time here.

“It definitely made my decision an easy one,” Schiller wrote in an e-mail.

Before taking over the presidency of NPR, Schiller was the head of new media for the New York Times online and senior vice president of CNN Productions. Metz said this wealth of experience makes her a dynamic speaker.

“That leaves her with a foot in both camps,” he said. “In this job, she acts as an advocate for traditional radio and at the same time she is encouraging people to experiment with all technologies to see what will work.”

Schiller said she will be speaking about the state of news and why she feels “more hope than despair.”

Moellers said she hopes students come away from Schiller’s lecture with a new sense of the value of skill diversity and the importance of telling stories on different media platforms.

“I hope that students get a sense of how you manage change in a difficult time, which is part of what she does every day.” Metz said. “Also, what does she predict will happen in media in the next five to ten years? This is someone with a great
imagination and practical experience. It will be interesting to hear her predictions for the future.”

Schiller also has some advice for journalism students.

“Don’t give up on news as a career despite what you read,” she wrote in an e-mail. “We’re in the midst of a crisis in the business model – not journalism.”

VIVIAN SCHILLER
WHEN 7 p.m. Monday
WHERE Buskirk-Chumley Theater
MORE INFO The NPR president will give a talk titled "The Changing Face of Journalism."