NPR hires ‘Sesame Street’ executive as new president and CEO

National Public Radio announced Sunday that they have hired Gary E. Knell, the chief executive of Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street and Dragon Tales for PBS, as their new president and CEO.

According to the announcement, Knell is hoping to help NPR get through their recent troubles after losing top executives to controversies and facing attacks on its federal funding by conservatives.

Knell said in an interview that his main goal is to combat critics by depoliticizing NPR. "It's about journalism, it's about news. It's not about promoting one political agenda or another,” he said, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Knell was a fixture at Sesame Workshop, building the Sesame Street brand into a global property. The New York Times reports that he will be replaced by H. Melvin Ming, who began working at the company in 1999 as CFO. He rose to become the COO in 2002 and worked closely with Knell during his tenure.