{{Short description|American news executive}} {{Primary sources|date=February 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = John Lippman | image = | image_upright = | landscape = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | burial_place = | burial_coordinates = | monuments = | education = | alma_mater = Dartmouth College ('71) | occupation = News executive | years_active = 1971–present | era = | employer = Voice of America | organization = | known_for = | notable_works = | television = | title = Acting director | term = | predecessor = | successor = | boards = | spouse = | children = | relatives = | family = | awards = | website = | footnotes = }} '''John Lippman''' is an American television executive and the acting director of Voice of America. He was formerly senior vice president for news and operations at Univision Television, as well as acting director of the United States Agency for Global Media’s Office of Performance Review. Earlier in his career he was a television news executive at KING-TV, KSTW Channel 11, KIRO-TV, and KCBS-TV.
== Biography == === Early life === Lippman is the son of a metal fabricating company owner.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19910602&slug=1286676|title=In A Shifting Medium, John Lippman Has Shown Remarkable Staying Power As Kiro-TV News Director|date=June 2, 1991|author=Kit Boss|website=The Seattle Times}}</ref> He was born in Chicago, and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Glencoe, Illinois, where he was a member of the Glencoe Boy Scouts.<ref name="auto8">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920107&slug=1468960|title=Kiro News Director Resigns To Take Job At Los Angeles Station|date=January 7, 1992|author=Ferdinand M. De Leon|website=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>[https://www.glencoescouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Troop-23.24.28-Eagles.pdf "Glencoe Scouting; Eagle Program"]</ref><ref name="auto2"/> He attended New Trier Township High School ('66), and operated the school's 10-watt radio station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/New_Trier_Township_High_School_Echoes_Yearbook/1966/Page_1.html|title=New Trier Township High School - Echoes Yearbook (Winnetka, IL), Class of 1966|website=e-yearbook.com}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> He has also lived in Tacoma, Washington.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1980/4/1/1971|title= April 1980|first=Thomas G.|last=Jackson|website=Dartmouth Alumni Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1977/10/1/1971|title= October 1977|first=Thomas G.|last=Jackson|website=Dartmouth Alumni Magazine}}</ref>
Lippman graduated from Dartmouth College ('71), majoring in History and Urban Studies.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidevoa.com/a/7280112.html|title=John Lippman, Acting VOA Director|date=September 29, 2023|website=Voice of America}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto9">{{Cite web|url=https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/class-note-1971-29|title=Class Notes Sept-Oct 2014|website=Dartmouth Alumni Magazine}}</ref> In his senior year, he ran the school's news department, and created and hosted a daily call-in talk show.<ref name="auto2"/>
=== Early career === He started his career as a broadcast engineer.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://theaibs.tv/john-lippman/|title=John Lippman|website=The Association for International Broadcasting}}</ref> He was then a television station news executive.<ref name="auto1"/>
In 1971 Lippman joined King Broadcasting at KING-TV in Seattle as a radio reporter, later working as an anchor.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=J5ioln154FYC&q=%22john%20lippman%22 "Congressional Record Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress"], Volume 117, Part 25, By United States. Congress · 1971.</ref><ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto5"/> In 1976 he left KING, and began working at KSTW Channel 11 in Tacoma, Washington, building a news department.<ref name="auto5"/> In 1979 Channel 11 fired Lippman amidst disagreements over decisions being made by the station's new general manager.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-kstws-john-lippman-fir/150049075/ |title=KSTW's John Lippman fired as news director |newspaper=The News Tribune |publication-place=Tacoma, Washington |page=27 |date=1979-03-12 |access-date=2024-06-25 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
At age 29 in 1979, he joined CBS affiliate KIRO-TV in Seattle as news director, and he worked there until 1992.<ref name="SeattleTimes1993">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19930501&slug=1698835|title=John Lippman, Formerly Of Kiro-TV, Fired In L.A.|website=The Seattle Times|date=May 1, 1993}}</ref> During that time, KIRO staff grew increased from 45 to 100, and KIRO-TV was at or near the top of the ratings in the Seattle market for most of the decade.<ref name="auto8"/> He sparked controversy in 1986 for refusing to air safer sex advertisements, with Bea Kelleigh from the ''NW AIDS Foundation'' dubbing the rejections as due to "homophobia".<ref name="auto6">{{Cite web|url=https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=SGN19861017.1.1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------|title= Three Newspapers Refuse to Air NWAF Public Service Safe Sex Spots|author=George Bakan|date= October 17, 1986|website=Seattle Gay News}}</ref> He was then hired as news director at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles in 1992; it was a position he held until 1993, when he was fired amid reports of being "disliked by almost everyone who works in the newsroom"<ref name="SeattleTimes1993"/><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-01-ca-29786-story.html|title=Lippman Fired by KCBS-TV: Television: The news director's dismissal ends a turbulent period marked by deteriorating newsroom morale, decreasing ratings and declining credibility.|author=Greg Braxton|date=May 1, 1993|website=The Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-03-ca-30690-story.html|title=Lippman Says He Is a 'Scapegoat': Television: Former KCBS-TV news director says he was a 'target' of negative publicity.|date=May 3, 1993|website=The Los Angeles Times|author=Greg Braxton}}</ref><ref name="auto8"/> In 1983–85, he was a staff writer and an assistant editor of ''The Fifth Estate Broadcasting''.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1983/BC-1983-10-03.pdf "Masthead,"] ''The Fifth Estate Broadcasting'', October 1983.</ref><ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1985/BC-1985-04-01.pdf "Masthead,"] ''The Fifth Estate Broadcasting'', April 1985.</ref>
For 14 years, from 1996 to 2009, Lippman was Senior Vice President for News and Operations at Univision Television.<ref name="auto7">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediamoves.com/2023/09/yolanda-lopez-resigns-from-voa-john-lippman-to-succeed-her-as-acting-director.html|title=Yolanda López resigns from VOA, John Lippman to succeed her as acting director|work= Media Moves|first=Veronica|last=Villafañe|date=September 25, 2023}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>
=== 2009–present === Since 2009, Lippman has worked at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)/Broadcasting Board of Governors.<ref name="auto9"/><ref name="auto1"/> He has been acting director of USAGM's Office of Performance Review, interim General Manager of Radio y Televisión Martí stations, and VOA's Deputy Director for Programming and acting director for Programming.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto9"/>
He was executive producer of ''Displaced'', a VOA documentary from 2019 about Rohingya refugees.<ref name="auto4"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmfreeway.com/ADayintheLifeofRefugees|title=New VOA Documentary: A Day in the Life of Refugees|website=FilmFreeway}}</ref> It won a Gold World Medal in the International Affairs Documentary category, a Silver World Medal in the Best News Documentary/Special News Program category, and a United Nations Department of Public Information special Bronze Award at the 2019 New York Festivals International TV and Film Awards ceremony at the National Association of Broadcasters show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usagm.gov/2019/04/10/voa-takes-multiple-medals-at-new-york-festivals-awards/|title=VOA takes multiple medals at New York Festivals Awards|date=April 10, 2019|website=USAGM}}</ref> He also co-wrote and worked as executive producer of the VOA documentary ''One Day in the Life of Refugees,'' released in 2020.<ref name="auto4"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://imefilmfest.com/international-migration-&-environmental-film-festival/a-day-in-the-life-of-refugees/|title=A Day in the Life of Refugees|date=March 19, 2023|publisher=International Migration & Environmental Film Festival}}</ref>
As of February 2024, he is the acting director of VOA, a position to which he was appointed on October 1, 2023.<ref name="auto7"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/yolanda-lpez-steps-down-as-acting-voa-director,245996|title=John Lippman is named acting VOA director to succeed Yolanda López|author=|date=October 1, 2023|website=Editor and Publisher}}</ref>
== References ==
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== External links == *[https://www.c-span.org/person/?126371/JohnLippman John Lippman on C-Span]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lippman, John}}
Category:American documentary film producers Category:American radio reporters and correspondents Category:American television executives Category:CBS executives Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:People from Glencoe, Illinois Category:Radio personalities from Seattle Category:Television news anchors from Chicago Category:Television news anchors from Seattle Category:Univision people {{DEFAULTSORT:Lippman, John}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Mass media people from Tacoma, Washington