Two NPR promotions highlight importance of technology and audience data

NPR, headquartered in D.C., promoted Bryan Moffett to senior vice president of transformation and Michael Seifollahi to vice president of audience technology and data, appointments aimed at strengthening digital audience growth and collaboration across the public media network.

The appointments, states a post,  “highlight the operational importance of technology and audience data as NPR develops digital products that must work across both the national organization and its network of local Member stations.

“For NPR, that challenge extends beyond attracting digital users. The organization is also working to connect audience engagement with fundraising, distribution and revenue opportunities across a decentralized public media network.”

Chief Operating Officer Ryan Merkley said the leadership changes come as NPR works more closely with its Member organizations across news, digital products, fundraising, marketing and distribution. Both executives will take on roles focused on connecting those efforts and developing the technology and operating structure behind NPR’s audience strategy.

“NPR is in a pivotal moment when we are working across the Network to better serve audiences,” Merkley said. He added that the appointments are intended to support investments in audience engagement and create more coordinated experiences across NPR and its Member organizations.

The post states that Moffett will lead NPR’s Office of Transformation, overseeing the design and execution of organization-wide initiatives tied to the network’s strategic priorities. A central part of the position will be coordinating work across teams as NPR pursues audience growth and closer collaboration throughout the public media system.

Since 2022, Moffett has held dual positions as chief operating officer of National Public Media, or NPM, and senior vice president for network growth at NPR. He will remain NPM’s COO while shifting more of his attention to the transformation role.

Moffett has spent more than two decades with NPR and NPM and has worked on several initiatives connecting digital audience development with revenue generation. Those efforts include NPR+ and the NPR Network Donation platform, which NPR said has generated more than $70 million in new audience revenue shared with the network to date.

Earlier in his tenure, Moffett helped introduce digital sponsorship at NPR and developed sponsorship models for its mobile apps and podcasts. He previously served as NPM’s general manager and has been its chief operating officer since 2016.

“This is a critical moment in media, and particularly for public media,” Moffett said. He said his focus will include ensuring NPR’s digital transformation translates into audience and revenue growth while supporting its broader public media mission.

Seifollahi, meanwhile, will oversee NPR’s audience technology and data organization. His responsibilities include developing and scaling engineering teams spanning full-stack development, front-end technology, mobile, voice and quality assurance.

He will also work closely with a senior vice president of product and data that NPR plans to hire. Together, those functions will shape the technical and architectural direction of the next generation of digital products supporting NPR and the broader public media ecosystem.

Seifollahi joined NPR in 2013 as a lead mobile engineer. He was part of the team that developed the on-demand listening experience that became NPR One and later helped drive NPR’s transition from maintaining multiple mobile applications to a unified app strategy.