A message from Jean Taylor and Jim Dwyer
Dear Members and Friends,
Just like the rising sun, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American Public Media (APM) are waking to a vibrant new day thanks to generous and sustained support from our members, donors, underwriters and friends. Over the last year, MPR | APM has reflected on our organization from several angles and reconnected with listeners and donors in ways that were not possible over the previous couple of years. Together, we are emerging brighter than ever.
Through a collaborative journey, you helped us update our mission statement. This new mission statement—developed with input from more than 200 people including employees, the Board of Trustees, community leaders, members and donors—replaces a mission that was adopted more than 30 years ago. We are grateful for the feedback and perspectives we received from many of you during our mission development process.
Our new mission is
Creating the future of public media by
amplifying voices to inform, include, and inspire.
With this mission, we pledge to enhance, magnify and accelerate our potential to share stories that are relevant to all communities, opening spaces for a variety of voices to be heard.
Reflecting on the past year, it was energizing to reconnect with so many of you as we brought back many live events including Rock the Cradle, the final Rock the Garden, Talking Volumes, Brains On! Live, Indigenous & Media Community Roundtables, donor events and more. We also reached new audiences with the launch of several novel programs and initiatives including MPR News’ “North Star Journey” and “Minnesota Now,” The Current’s “Carbon Sound,” YourClassical’s “Rhapsody in Black” and “The Next Challenge for Media & Journalism.”
Together, we have the power to amplify and connect many different audiences in this evolving digital landscape. In a year marked by historic news, Marketplace saw its downloads rise as more people were tuning in for up-to-the-minute programming. The premiere economic news service reached more than 12 million listeners each week—that’s more than five times the audience of the top five cable TV news shows combined. Over at APM Studios, we continue to expand programming for kids and families. This year “Moment of Um” was launched, a daily episode answering questions from kids that pop out of nowhere like “how does cheese get its color?” We even brought back Forever Ago, a show for the whole family looking into the surprising history of things. Another key series that continued was Early Risers, a podcast and partnership between Little Moments Count and MPR focused on raising children with a clear-eyed understanding of cultural differences, race and implicit bias.
MPR | APM is part of the community, not only as a source but also a resource for everyone, free of paywall or barrier. The generosity of members like you ensures that we can evolve while continuing to provide independent, fact-based journalism, vital cultural programming and inspiring music.
We are grateful for the remarkable and reliable support that makes our financial health one of our pillars of strength. MPR | APM had a remarkable year with our highest revenue ever as an organization. We are the fortunate beneficiary of several endowment funds that are critically important for organizational strength and sustainability. Our national underwriting team had a successful year thanks to tremendous partnerships with local and national businesses. We also had the honor of receiving a historic $56 million cash gift—the largest in the organization’s 55-year history—from an anonymous donor. It will fund YourClassical programs and support new media transmission across the organization. This generous gift will have a transformative impact on the future of MPR and the communities we serve. It will enable us to deepen and broaden the audience for classical music while we advance MPR’s digital capabilities and infrastructure.
Your continued financial support is especially important in keeping MPR | APM strong, enabling us to fulfill our essential public service mission and invest in strategic priorities that will serve more people. Thank you for supporting us along the journey as we create the future of public media. We look forward to what is on the horizon.
Warmly,
Chief Executive Officer
Your support
funds trusted news and information to help you make sense of the world around you.
Your gifts
create space for the vital conversations that citizens should be having … together.
Your generosity
connects you to a thriving creative community of familiar voices and adventurous new artists.
Accolades
MPR | APM has received more than 1,000 journalism awards and has been recognized for our outstanding music programming and national on-demand content. None of this would be possible without your support! Here are a few that we’re especially proud of.
Click on the links to listen again to the award-winning stories.
Hall of Fame Award:
Radio Stations Pandemic Coverage/Project— First Place, Catharine Richert, Kirsti Marohn, Hannah Yang & Minnesota Public Radio for “Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic from MPR News”
Documentary/Special—Large Market Radio—First Place, Minnesota Public Radio:
“How George Floyd Changed Us”
Education Reporting:
Public Service (Smaller Newsroom)—First Place, APM Reports: “Who wants to be a teacher?”
Audio Storytelling (Smaller Newsroom)—First Place, APM Reports: “Under Pressure: Inside the college mental health crisis”
Documentary (Radio—Non-Commercial Local)— American Public Media Research Lab for “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought”
2022 MINNESOTA SOCIETY FOR PROFESSIONAL
JOURNALISTS PAGE ONE AWARDS:
- Hard News Report—First Place, Dan Kraker, MPR News: “Line 3 construction brings complication, controversy to Fond du Lac Reservation”
- Special Award/Best Beat Reporting—First Place, Catharine Richert, MPR News: “As the world moves on, the unvaccinated and vulnerable”
- Best Single Feature Story/Package—First Place, Dan Gunderson, MPR News: “A reckoning: St. Benedict nuns apologize for Native boarding school”
- Best Social Media Account—First Place, MPR’s Newsroom Digital Team for MPR News Instagram
- Feature—First Place, Hannah Yang, MPR News: “‘It made my heart broke’: Marshall first-graders, parents grieve loss of classmate to COVID-19”
- Podcast—First Place, MPR’s Newsroom Staff: “In Front of Our Eyes”
- Arts & Entertainment Coverage—First Place, Cecilia Johnson, The Current: “Your Smith’s Minnesota return sparks a ‘writing renaissance’—and, soon, parenthood”
2022 WEBBY AWARDS:
- Podcasts, Advice & How-To—People’s Voice Winner, APM Studios for “Don’t Ask Tig”
- Podcasts, Arts & Culture—Honoree, APM Studios, Ada Limon, Myka Kielbon and Jennifer Lai for “The Slowdown: Episode 567”
- Podcasts, Interview/TalkShow—Honoree, American Public Media, Nora McInerny, Marcel Malekebu, Jordan Turgeon, Jeyca Maldonado-Medina and Megan for “Terrible, Thanks for Asking: Her Name Was Heather”
2021 PUBLIC MEDIA JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION AWARDS:
- Sports Feature—First Place, Dan Kraker, MPR News: “Outdoor sports remain very white. Duluth groups are working to close the ‘adventure gap’”
- Breaking News—First Place, Minnesota Public Radio: MPR News live coverage of the Derek Chauvin verdict
- Audience Engagement Program—First Place, Minnesota Public Radio: MPR News with Angela Davis reporting on “How are you processing the violence in DC that unfolded Wednesday”
2021 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CULINARY PROFESSIONALS (IACP) AWARD:
- Best Radio Show, APM Studios: The Splendid Table
Sunisa Lee as she competes in the Olympic all-around final on Thursday, July 29, 2021.
2022 Donor Quotations
A few years ago, when I was mowing lawns during the summers between my college years, I bought a pair of those big, yellow, ear-protective headphones with a radio antenna built in—and it happened to be tuned to MPR News, and I’ve been IN LOVE ever since. MPR is absolutely priceless, and I really mean it. It’s a place where an hour can be dedicated to genuine, powerful conversations, a place where you can hear the news without it being sensationalized AND it’s a place where you get to hear the positive and uplifting stories in the world, too.Luke, Minneapolis, MN
Music has always been a huge part of my family’s life. YourClassical MPR plays almost all day at my house. I start my morning off with it, and it stays on once I leave for work to entertain Duchess and Blue, my fur babies. Lastly, providing an excellent wind-down to the day’s end. We’d all like to thank you for being part of our family and carrying us through the highs and lows of life with the music we love and cherish!Leora, Coon Rapids, MN
I love that The Current introduces me to so much new music and reminds me of old favorites. But something magical seems to happen when I tune in. When I listen to the amazing music and DJs of The Current, I feel so connected to its music community. It’s such a different experience than when I listen to music separately. The sound almost feels fuller somehow, like I’m sensing the collective radio experience of all the listeners tuning in at any given time. Yes, quite a treat. Thank you for helping me feel connected, in so many ways.Dorianne, Mounds View, MN
2022 Donor Quotations
My 8-year-old daughter loves Brains On! and listens to it all the time. Our whole family pauses to guess the Mystery Sound whenever it comes on. The show has increased her vocabulary (‘iconic’) and inspired her to do science-related crafts. She observes the scientific concepts she’s learned from it out in the real world (like the squirrel’s alarm call from the Squirrelsperience episode). I like that it doesn’t talk down to kids, and I have fun listening to it, too!Courtney, Durham, NC
I enjoy the programs, the hosts, the range of topics on how daily economics from the macro to the micro affects our daily lives. It’s smart, informative, entertaining and REAL. I like to say I got a minor in Economics simply because I have been listening to your programming for over 10 years now. Special shout out to ‘This Is Uncomfortable,’ ‘The Uncertain Hour,’ ‘Million Bazillion,’ ‘How We Survive’ and ‘Make Me Smart’ along with the standard stalwarts of ‘Marketplace,’ ‘MP Tech’ and the ‘MP Morning Report.’ Thank you so much for what you do.Juan, Denver, CO
Million Bazillion is a fun show, my kiddo enjoys it and is making a donation from his donation allowance!Robert, Minneapolis, MN
I like not only the universality in the poems Ada reads but also the tenderness and honesty of the stories introducing each reading. The Slowdown reminds me every morning of the many small acts of kindness and frequent acts of love and sharing from family, friends and even strangers—acts I may not have recognized at the time that were important points of pivot and growth in my life.Shari, Washington DC
have been listening for a long time. I love that The Splendid Table provides more than just recipes. You talk about the ‘how to’s,’ the ‘why’ and the culture of food. You talk about what makes food such a bonding experience between people and families. The Splendid Table is so much more than a cooking show! Thank you for all you do!Janet, Pullman, WA
Performance Today continues to be one of the most interesting classical music programs on the radio. We value its contribution to the future of classical music.Richard and Deborah, Aspen, CO
the death of Daunte Wright, who was shot and killed in 2021 by former Brooklyn Center officer Kimberly Potter.
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is one of the nation’s premier public media organizations, producing programming for radio, digital and live audiences. With its
three core services—MPR News,
Classical MPR and
The Current®—MPR operates a 46-station radio network serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states, reaching 1 million radio listeners each week.
A complete list of stations, programs, podcasts and additional services can be found here.
- News
- The Current
- YourClassical MPR
American Public Media
American Public Media (APM), MPR’s national programming division, is a producer and distributor of award-winning radio programming and podcasts. APM is the largest producer and distributor of classical music programming in the country and the nation’s largest station-based producer of public radio programming. APM programs reach 20 million listeners nationwide each week on approximately 1,000 radio stations, and its suite of podcasts delivers over 17.5 million downloads every month. The diverse portfolio of broadcast and on-demand programming is listed here.
- Indicates approximate distribution of MPR and APM programming
- St. Paul, MinnesotaAmerican Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio headquarters
- Greater Minnesota (Rochester, Collegeville, Bemidji, Moorhead, Worthington and Duluth) MPR News bureaus
- Los Angeles, California Marketplace headquarters
- Pasadena, California KPCC Southern California Public Radio™ headquarters (a part of APMG)
-
New York City,
New York Studio/bureau location for Marketplace, The Splendid Table, Live from Here, Performance Today - Washington, D.C. Marketplace bureau location
- London, UK Headquarters for BBC—an APM distribution partnership; Marketplace bureau location
- Shanghai, China (not shown on map) Marketplace bureau location
Endowment
MPR | APM is the fortunate beneficiary of several endowment funds. As of June 30, 2022, our endowments were valued at $258 million, including $94 million from estates, individual donors and other community gifts. Gifts earmarked for endowment are critically important for organizational strength and sustainability.
Accountability — Top Rating
MPR | APM maintains the highest standards for nonprofit accountability and transparency. We have earned the highest “four-star” rating from Charity Navigator and received the Charities Review Council’s seal for meeting accountability standards that include public disclosure, governance, financial activity and fundraising.
View previous annual reports:
PHOTO CREDITS: Paul Middlestaedt, Kerem Yücel, Sara Fish, Dylan Kinneavy, MPR News, Louis Felix, Youth Lens 360, Rachel Sender, Nancy Farghalli, Evan Frost, Tim Evans, Nikolas Liepins, Morgan Winston.