Michael Smith has been named NPR’s chief marketing officer, replacing Meg Goldthwaite, who left March 2.
Smith most recently served as SVP and GM of digital channels for Scripps Networks, where he developed strategies to reach a younger and more diverse audience online.
“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,” said NPR CEO John Lansing in a statement. “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.”
Smith was also SVP and GM of the Cooking Channel and food category brand extensions and SVP of marketing, creative and brand strategy for Food Network.
Smith also worked in various marketing roles with Disney Channel in the United States and in Asia. After completing internships, he began his media career in affiliate relations with CBS.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Smith starts his new job April 6.