WASHINGTON — The man who helped bring “Sesame Street” to a global audience for the past 11 years will take over as president and CEO of NPR, the public radio network announced Sunday.

Gary Knell, the longtime president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, will start at NPR on Dec. 1.

Knell succeeds Vivian Schiller, who resigned under pressure in March after a former NPR fundraiser was caught on camera calling the tea party racist. The episode led some conservatives to call for an end to federal funding for NPR, but Congress ultimately retained the funds as part of a budget deal in April.

Schiller also was criticized for firing analyst Juan Williams over comments he made about Muslims.

Knell, 57, told The Associated Press on Sunday that he wanted to “depoliticize” NPR by highlighting its commitment to hard-hitting local, national and international journalism across multiple platforms. He said he does not believe that NPR is biased and wants to try to change the minds of those who perceive it as such.

“I think NPR needs to do a better job of telling a story,” Knell said. “It's about journalism, it's about news. It's not about promoting one political agenda or another.”

NPR's board of directors voted unanimously to hire Knell after a national search that included help from an outside firm.