As NPR CEO and President Katherine Maher testifies before a DOGE subcommittee this week about federal funding for public media, we — the leaders of St. Louis Public Radio — urge you to consider the essential public service STLPR provides our community.
STLPR provides important local information to help citizens make informed decisions, such as our voter guides, covering changes in how our public utilities will be delivered, or reports on how to pick up the pieces after a damaging storm. Our dedicated staff does this work each day with integrity, joy, and humanity. We also do this with public service as our top priority, a priority that has stood firmly in place over the decades that we have been a part of your lives.
At a time when we see the work of NPR journalists politicized and its funding under attack, it’s important to see the full picture of what public radio brings to thousands of St. Louisans every day, and over half-a-million people in our region each month. We’re here for public service, not profit.
Our journalism is anchored by rigorous reporting and fact-checking, essential to informing decisions that affect our health, safety, finances, democracy, and future. Our award-winning journalists share local stories that matter, with editorially independent work guided by a strong code of ethics. We are committed to non-partisan coverage that reflects and amplifies the voices of our community – including St. Louis nonprofits, local businesses, public servants, educators, and everyday citizens. This coverage is free and available for all to hear.
STLPR also shares St. Louis arts with the world. In 2012, STLPR was named a local Champion for the Arts by the Arts and Education Council. For the past 15 years, we have broadcast live performances of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and in 2021 we began broadcasting performances from Jazz St. Louis, amplifying these St. Louis treasures across the region and worldwide on stlpr.org. Local musicians and artists are regularly featured on St. Louis on the Air.
We also bring people together for connection in person at events. We are welcoming newcomers to St. Louis with the STL Welcome Kit — a story collection to help people new to St. Louis acclimate to their chosen home. Last year, we invited the community to record meaningful conversations with their loved ones in the StoryCorps mobile booth, stories that will be preserved in the Library of Congress.
Since 1972, St. Louisans have listened to 90.7 KWMU FM to hear the latest information about the world, our country and our community from voices you know and trust. In an era of algorithmic isolation and partisan echo chambers, STLPR remains a bridge connecting neighborhoods and sharing stories from our region. The future of public media isn’t just about preserving a radio station. It’s about protecting a vital public service. We invite you to stand with us to ensure the voices of St. Louis continue to be heard, understood and celebrated for generations to come.
— The Leadership Team of St. Louis Public Radio
- Tina Pamintuan, CEO
- Mike Anderson, Director of Business Administration
- Leslie Davis, Special Events Director
- Brian Heffernan, Interim News Director
- Jess Luther, Chief of Staff
- Madalyn Painter, Director of Marketing & Digital Media
- Wayne Pratt, Broadcast Operations Manager