NPR Joins Mountain West News to Expand Regional Coverage
| RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, August 14, 2025 | 10:11am CT |
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 National Public Radio (NPR) |
NPR is joining the Mountain West News Bureau to form a regional newsroom serving seven Western states, the network's seventh such collaboration. The move, nearly a year in the making, is designed to strengthen public media's reporting on critical issues in the Mountain West, including public lands, water and energy resources, and other regional concerns.
"NPR is committed to working more closely with these Mountain West stations to serve the public's need for trusted reporting from this vast section of the country," said Edith Chapin, NPR Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief and acting Chief Content Officer.
The Mountain West News Bureau, founded in 2018 with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, currently has six managing partner stations: Boise State Public Radio, KANW in New Mexico, KUNC in Colorado, KUNR Public Radio in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, and Wyoming Public Media. Nearly a dozen other affiliated stations also participate, along with NPR. Colorado Public Radio in Denver and KJZZ in Phoenix have joined as associate partners.
The expanded newsroom will be funded by contributions from its partner organizations and a grant from Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation. The grant will support the addition of a full-time digital editor and a journalist dedicated to covering Indigenous affairs in partnership with Koahnic Broadcast Corporation and Native Public Media.
Tom Michael, general manager of Boise State Public Radio and lead station for the bureau, said the expansion will deepen coverage and broaden the scope of stories told. Managing editor Michael de Yoanna will coordinate news efforts across partner stations and work closely with NPR to produce in-depth, investigative, and context-rich reporting.
The Mountain West News Bureau now joins NPR's other regional collaborations in Texas, California, the Gulf States, the Midwest, New England, and Appalachia and the Mid-South.
