Short answers, pulled from the story.
NPR first went on the air on the 20th of April 1971, broadcasting live United States Senate hearings on the Vietnam War. All Things Considered, the afternoon drive-time newscast, premiered shortly after on the 3rd of May 1971, first hosted by Robert Conley.
According to NPR's 2022 data, 30.7 million listeners tune into its programs each week. This is down from a peak of 37.7 million in 2017 but well above the 20.9 million counted in 2008.
NPR faced a deficit of nearly $7 million in 1983 after efforts to expand services, bringing the network close to bankruptcy. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting agreed to lend NPR the money to survive, but in exchange, the annual federal stipend that had gone directly to NPR was redirected to local member stations, which then paid NPR on a subscription basis.
In November 2003, NPR received more than $200 million from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, the widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc. It was described as the largest monetary gift ever to a cultural institution, and within a year it had increased NPR's operating budget by more than 50 percent.
NPR left Twitter on the 12th of April 2023, after the platform designated its main account as "US state-affiliated media." NPR described the label as inaccurate, noting that federal funding amounted to less than 1 percent of its $300 million annual budget. In its final post, NPR directed followers to its newsletters and alternative social media profiles.
Katherine Maher, the former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, was named NPR's president and CEO by the board in January 2024, effective late March. She succeeded John Lansing, who led NPR from 2019 to 2024.