CPB Funds Upper Midwest Newsroom with $1.16M Grant

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 2:39pm CT

Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded a $1,156,279 grant to establish the Upper Midwest Newsroom, a new regional journalism collaboration led by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) alongside Prairie Public Broadcasting in North Dakota, South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB), and Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

The initiative aims to strengthen local and regional news coverage across the Upper Midwest by expanding editorial capacity and producing collaborative reporting. Coverage will focus on issues central to the region's identity and future -- economic and environmental challenges, agriculture, tribal affairs, and community resilience.

Under the grant, two editors will manage a four-reporter team, with journalists based at each partner station. MPR News will also add a dedicated beat reporter focused on tribal communities throughout the region.

"This collaboration strengthens trusted local journalism and builds regional capacity to cover the stories that matter most to people across the Upper Midwest," said Kathy Merritt, CPB's Chief Operating Officer. "By combining resources, experience, and a shared public service mission, these stations will deliver reporting that reflects the voices and values of the communities they serve."

The Upper Midwest Newsroom will also function as a new NPR regional hub, linking local public media journalists with national reporting and shared editorial support. The project aligns with CPB's longstanding mission to sustain public media and serve rural and underserved audiences.

"We deeply appreciate this investment in a vital public service," said Duchesne Drew, president of Minnesota Public Radio. "At a time when federal support for CPB has been rescinded, this partnership underscores how critical public media remains to the communities we serve."

The announcement comes as CPB winds down operations following Congress's rescission of all federal funding. Despite a 70% reduction in staff, the organization continues to manage remaining resources to support public media.