Louisville Public Media Completes Newsroom Expansion

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Louisville Public Media

Louisville Public Media (LPM) has completed its capital campaign to expand its local news operation and sustainability team, the organization announced today. The expansion has resulted in more local, civic news coverage across more subjects online, on the radio, via newsletters and in podcasts. LPM, a nonprofit that operates three public radio stations including WFPL (89.3 News)/Louisville, as well as the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, began the campaign in 2020 and completed it in 2021.

LPM raised more than $1.7 million to support five new reporting positions at WFPL, as well as a Vice President of Content to manage all editorial operations for the organization. The vast majority of funding for the six new journalism positions came from the local community and will support the expansion for the next three years.

In addition, LPM raised $655,000 from the American Journalism Project to support an expansion of its development department through the addition of three new positions and new investments in marketing and digital membership growth. With this support, LPM will build core business infrastructure to sustain the expansion of its local newsroom, while laying the foundation for this next phase of growth as a new kind of local anchor news organization and civic institution.

The expansion brings LPM's total number of employees to 65, including a 29-person newsroom.

"Louisville has a long history of both supporting and expecting strong civic news coverage," said LPM President Stephen George. "In a time when local journalism is disappearing around the country, LPM is countering that trend. I'm proud that we're able to work with these donors to expand mission-based, community-driven local news when it's needed more than ever."