Welcome to The White Sheep

Announcing: a historic merger of two media companies.

Monday, April 1 — National Public Radio, Inc. (NPR) has announced that it has entered an agreement to acquire The Black Sheep, LLC, a Substack-based publication. 

As part of the merger, The Black Sheep will rebrand as The White Sheep, a change designed to signal the publication’s mass appeal. The White Sheep will help diversify NPR into the rapidly growing subscription newsletter industry.

“We are thrilled to acquire The Black Sheep and ‘shepherd’ it into a new era,” said NPR President and CEO John Lansing.

“The White Sheep will be a new home for NPR’s signature commitment to fair and impartial enforcement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in media.” 

The merger creates one of the biggest state-affiliated Substack publications in the U.S. and will strengthen NPR’s ability to reach the increasing number of people turning away from traditional media for mysterious reasons. The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, is expected to close in Q2 2024.

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