Could NPR Survive Without Federal Funding? April 12, 2011

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2011/04/05/Vivian_Schiller_Roundtable_Breakfast

Vivian Schiller, former head of NPR, discusses the possible impacts if Congress were to eliminate federal funding for public radio. Schiller notes that large-market stations would likely survive thanks to the availability of alternate sources of revenue, but that effects would be far more serious for stations in smaller, rural markets."If those dollars go away, those stations could go dark," she says.

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A media executive and journalist with more than twenty years experience in the industry, Vivian Schiller was president and CEO of NPR from January 2009 to March 2011. She joined NPR from The New York Times Company where she served as senior vice president and general manager of NYTimes.com.

As president and CEO, Schiller oversaw all NPR operations and initiatives, including the organization's critical partnerships with its more than 800 member stations, and their service to the more than twenty-six million people who listen to NPR programming every week.

During her tenure at the New York Times, she led the day-to-day operations of NYTimes.com, the largest newspaper Web site on the internet, overseeing product, technology, marketing, classifieds, strategic planning, and business development.

Before joining NYTimes.com, Schiller spent four years as senior vice president and general manager of the Discovery Times Channel, a joint venture of the New York Times and Discovery Communications. Under her leadership, Discovery Times Channel tripled its distribution while achieving critical acclaim for its award winning journalistic programming.