Nine Network Joins PM4A
Amy Shaw, President and CEO of Nine Network, offered the following about why they decided to participate.
“At Nine Network we believe that public media should be of, by, and for all people. Racial equity is imperative and it’s a long term journey. Public Media for All’s work is an important way to advance our industry.”
Based in St. Louis, The Nine Network reaches 100 counties in Missouri and Illinois on four distinct broadcast channels, reaching 750,000 viewers every month.
NPR Joins PM4A
John F. Lansing, President & CEO of NPR, and Keith Woods, Chief Diversity Officer of NPR, offered the following about why they decided to pledge to participate as an organization.
“As a news and cultural organization serving millions of people across the country and around the world in partnership with hundreds of Member stations, NPR embraces the responsibility and power we have to reflect the fullest truth of our diverse nation in our content, and to live up to the highest ideals of inclusion in our company.
We support the call for transformative change behind this “day of activism and education” and pledge to sustain the sense of urgency and purpose that has driven us to make the diversity of our audience the centerpiece of NPR’s 3-year strategic plan.
We acknowledge that diversity of staff is not enough; that we must concentrate on diversity in leadership. We are committed to holding our top people accountable for meeting our goals. We will continue to work together, leadership and staff, to dismantle structures that impede true equity and inclusion, and continue our drive to bring the voices of all Americans to our air and online. That means recognizing the role white privilege and unconscious bias have played in creating today’s challenges and actively working to combat them.
Our definition of diversity notes that it is “the unending pursuit of meaningful inclusion in the face of historic and present-day exclusion. It is a value that must live in all that we are and all that we do, beginning with the Board of Directors and cascading down to every corner of the enterprise. It must live in our content, hiring, audience and workplace; in our business deals, our partnerships, and our collaborations with stations across the network.”
Diversity at NPR is not a project or initiative. It is our work. And on this day and all the days to come, we pledge to treat it as such.”
Market Enginuity Joins PM4A
Jim Taszarek, President of Market Enginuity, offered the following about why they decided to sign up to participate.
“Founded with the mission to support public media through innovative sponsorship opportunities, Market Enginuity is committed to an inclusive work culture that supports the talented employees who represent our stations and podcast producers. We believe that individuals from every walk of life should feel respected and be treated fairly, provided work-life balance, and given the opportunity to excel. We join Public Media for All with a pledge to strengthen diversity and belonging in our organization and collaborate within the industry to continue to learn and grow.”
Marfa Public Radio Joins PM4A
Elise Pepple, GM of Marfa Public Radio in West Texas, offered the following about why they decided to commit to participating.
“Marfa Public Radio is excited to participate in Public Media for All because the core mission of public radio is to reflect and serve the public. If that public is limited to just a few, everyone is missing out and our sense of truth and imagination are also limited.”
Marfa Public Radio is an award-winning, non-profit, listener-supported radio station serving far West Texas. Thier mission is to be a public service and a lifeline for our community, to unify and promote cultural enrichment through presentation and focus on the importance of art, education, science, quality of life and the local economy. Marfa Public Radio is the recipient of numerous journalistic awards. The station has received 54 Regional Murrow Awards since it began entering the competition in 2012. Most recently, the station won 10 Regional Murrow awards in 2019 reporting, as well as 3 National Murrow Awards in addition to 7 Regional Murrow awards for its reporting in 2018, (the most of any small station in the country) and 2 PRNDI awards for its reporting in 2019.
St. Louis Public Radio Joins PM4A
"On this 'Day of Action for Public Media For All,' St. Louis Public Radio embraces the powerful, pointed and time bound steps outlined in the initiative,” Interim General Manager Tom Livingston said. “St. Louis Public Radio has made some progress in recent years to become a more diverse organization. But, there is still much work to be done – particularly in the areas of equity in training opportunities, diversifying management and leadership, and fostering a more inclusive workplace. Without diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce, we can't fully deliver on our mission to inform, inspire and engage the diverse audiences and communities we serve."
An independent investigation of equity practices at the station remains underway. Once that is complete, UMSL’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion will provide specific recommendations to improve hiring, recruiting and retention efforts.
During this day of action, St. Louis Public Radio staff will participate in a Public Media For All workshop and are encouraged to spend additional time reading and reflecting on the negative effects of systemic racism and ways to bring change to their own organization and public media as a whole.
St. Louis Public Radio is already taking a number of actions related to the Public Media For All initiative, including:
● Applying to bring the Next Generation Radio project to St. Louis;
● Implementing 360 performance management reviews for all supervisors;
● Forming a new committee of the Friends of KWMU Community Advisory Board focused on diversity, equity and inclusion;
● Forming a staff working group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion;
● Working to again fund a paid internship program to provide training for college students and graduates; and
● Seeking a third-party facilitator to engage staff in brave, constructive and respectful conversations about race.