Exclusive: Former NPR CEO Vivian Schiller Vows  ‘I Will Be Back’ in IWMF Interview

March 25, 2011--In her first extensive interview since resigning under pressure as National Public Radio’s CEO in early March, Vivian Schiller candidly told the International Women’s Media Foundation, “I will be back…”

At the International Women Media Leaders Conference in Washington this week, Schiller talked about her future in journalism and the importance of women in the news business.

“I will be back in some position at some point in the not too distant future,” Schiller told the IWMF in an exclusive interview.

Veteran broadcaster Susan King, an IWMF advisory board member, questioned Schiller in a wide-ranging interview. Schiller repeatedly stressed that she isn’t out of the game, despite the recent storm surrounding her departure from NPR.

“I’m not done – I certainly plan to stay in journalism. I feel passionate about it, “ said Schiller, 49, former senior vice president of the New York Times and former general manager of the Discovery Channel.

To watch Schiller interview highlights, see below:



For full interview, with Schiller describing the struggle of juggling work and home life and the role mentors played in her career, see below:



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Schiller conceded that the controversy surrounding her last days at NPR was “very stressful,” but she didn’t believe she was pushed out because of a double standard.  Schiller said she felt the obligation to “stay strong because she didn’t want to fall into the caricature of what women under pressure would be like.”

At the International Women Media Leaders Conference in Washington, Schiller was one of nearly 75 delegates who left the conference Friday vowing to “level the playing field” for women in news operations around the world. She was one of several delegates interviewed by the IWMF about the status of women in the media and their personal struggles.


MEDIA CONTACT: Jane Podesta, jpodesta@iwmf.org, 202-567-2602