NPR Appoints Nadine Zylstra as Chief Content Officer

NPR announced the hiring of Nadine Zylstra as its first Chief Content Officer as the organization confronts reduced federal support and heightened competition. Congress eliminated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) last year, creating a budget shortfall. At the same time, digital platforms have intensified competition for news and cultural content, prompting NPR to reassess its distribution and audience-engagement strategies.

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Zylstra joins NPR from Pinterest, where she oversaw programming and original content for a platform with over 631 million monthly active users, launching its first linear streaming series and securing deals with Condé Nast, Rolling Stone and Billboard. Earlier, she led YouTube Originals and Kids & Learning Originals, supervising more than 100 series and expanding educational content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her career began at Sesame Workshop, where she spent a decade as Vice President and Supervising Producer of “Sesame Street,” modernizing the show across broadcast and digital channels.

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In her new role, Zylstra will supervise a collaborative workforce of over 600 journalists, producers, and storytellers spanning NPR News, podcasts, arts, culture, and NPR Music. The position consolidates editorial oversight across the organization’s diverse output, aiming to align programming with audience preferences and emerging distribution opportunities.

NPR Names Nadine Zylstra Chief Content Officer

NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said the appointment seeks a leader who can balance the broadcaster’s public-service mission with innovative audience engagement in a crowded media landscape. Zylstra said she will draw on her experience shaping content at Sesame Street, YouTube and Pinterest to advance NPR’s mission.

NPR Names Nadine Zylstra Chief Content Officer

• “The announcement was made by Katherine Maher, President & CEO of NPR, who remarked, “To meet the evolving needs of our audiences, we knew we needed a visionary leader who understands both the responsibility of our public service mission and the dynamic strategies required to serve audiences in a crowded ecosystem.” — Katherine Maher, President & CEO, NPR

NPR Names Zylstra As Chief Content Officer

• “I am honored to serve NPR as its new Chief Content Officer,” — Nadine Zylstra, Chief Content Officer, NPR

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• “Nadine brings an extraordinarily rare blend of creative foresight, business acumen, and deep personal commitment to mission-driven storytelling.” — Katherine Maher, President & CEO, NPR

NPR Names Nadine Zylstra Chief Content Officer

• “At Sesame Street, I learned how content can change the way people understand the world around them. At YouTube I learned to put the user at the center of the storytelling. Finally, at Pinterest I learned that there is a business to build around positivity.” — Nadine Zylstra

NPR Names Nadine Zylstra Chief Content Officer

Zylstra will review NPR’s cross-platform distribution, explore new audience opportunities, and deepen collaboration with member stations to mitigate the CPB funding loss.

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