As Virginia’s home for public media, we know the importance of local stories and local storytelling. VPM connects nearly two million people from east of Richmond to west of the Shenandoah Valley (and everywhere in between) to insightful programming in arts and culture, history, science, news and education. And while we are a dedicated local affiliate of both PBS and NPR, our primary focus is our local community and keeping you connected to what matters.
As we count down to the end of the year, we’re counting down the top three reasons to support VPM (in no particular order—we’d rank them all at number one if we could).
1. Locally Focused and Locally Produced
We are dedicated to elevating the voices of Virginia’s diverse communities and shining a light on the issues that impact them every day. With VPM productions like “VPM News Focal Point,” “Virginia Home Grown,” “Un-Wine’d,” and “Life in the Heart Land,” and documentaries like “Raised/Razed” and “HEARD,” we continue to explore what makes Virginia Virginia.
As local newspapers across the country close their doors, the work of our dedicated local news team is more important than ever. VPM News strives to create informed Virginians through fair, relevant and nonpartisan content that reflects and respects us all. In a world often swimming in misinformation, accurate, relevant, timely and trustworthy reporting on important local issues is vital. You can keep up with the latest from VPM News on our website or by subscribing to the VPM Daily Newscast (podcast) or the VPM News Morning Monitor (eNewsletter).
This year, VPM continued to develop our partnerships with organizations focused on school readiness and family wellbeing. Our “Ready To Learn Learning Neighborhoods” and “The Basics” initiatives continued to provide tools and support to caregivers, families and educators across Virginia to facilitate early childhood development and growth — including “The Basics Preschool Nature Trail” in Booker T. Washington Park in Charlottesville. We also worked to create a new mural with artist David Marion in The Market at 25th in Richmond’s East End and launched a new “Reading Doesn’t Just Happen” awareness campaign with UVA Virginia Literacy Partnerships.
VPM Music now has more locally hosted music programs than ever! Our locally hosted programs go beyond your long-time favorites to help you discover new ones, from classical to alternative, jazz to hip-hop, blues to world music and so much more in between! Check out the VPM Music schedule regularly to find your new “can’t miss” programs.
2. Forward Thinking
This year, we released the VPM 2028 Strategic Plan, providing a five-year roadmap centered around VPM as a local storyteller and our dedication to the local communities we serve. And as part of that plan, VPM is bound for downtown! To help facilitate a deeper connection to our community, we are working toward building a new headquarters in Richmond’s Art’s district corridor on Broad Street in the heart of downtown. You can find out more about our plans at forward.vpm.org.
Part of forward thinking is acknowledging shifts in the media landscape. In an increasingly digital world, VPM goes beyond the airwaves to keep you educated, entertained and inspired no matter where you are. This year, VPM continued to expand our digital offerings, from new podcasts to digital shorts and more.
Following the success of VPM Podcast, “Seizing Freedom”, VPM launched "Admissible: Shreds of Evidence" in February 2023, taking a hard look into malfeasance at the Virginia crime lab in the 70s and 80s and the impacts that last to this day. Since it's release, the podcast has been downloaded over a million times! We look forward to the release of the next VPM podcast, “Track Change” in April 2024, which follows Grammy award-winning artist Speech Thomas as he works with men incarcerated in Richmond City Jail to produce an album of their own original music.
The VPM YouTube Channel continues to expand its library with more episodes of our digital first series “Hidden History with Brian Bullock,” - diving deep to explore the compelling history that is often right under our noses. VPM Digital also launched the premiere of a new series, “Sonic Threads,” hosted by Kelli Lemon, exploring African American music influence in various genres, beginning with Afrofuturism. Look for new episodes in 2024!
To help further education in the digital realm, VPM collaborated with the Virginia Department of Education to support curriculum development and the creation of educational Science and Computer Science resources for grades 4-8, inspiring students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
VPM continues to host and participate in virtual events, facilitating important discussions and ensuring our community can continue to engage with one another in meaningful ways. You can find the archive of our “Racism: Challenging Perceptions” discussion series here.
And don’t forget, you can always enjoy LIVE streams of VPM Music, VPM News and VPM PBS on our website at any time. PLUS, the free PBS App lets you to watch a variety of VPM and PBS programs on-demand or streaming live. Members who give $5 or more a month or $60 a year get VPM Passport*, providing access to even more VPM and PBS programs, episodes, special early releases and beyond!
3. Award-Winning
This year, we’re honored to have so much of our staff’s hard work recognized with a wealth of well-deserved awards for numerous television programs, documentaries, podcasts, news, digital content and more. Explore all of our award-winning content from the year below.
Regional Murrow Awards:
- Another Way: How One Virginia City Reckons with Gun Violence, Excellence in Digital
- More Dreams Deferred, Excellence in News Series
- VPM News Focal Point, Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Capital Emmy Awards:
Virginias AP Broadcaster Awards:
- Rev. Cora’s Gospel, Best Light Feature
- Descendants’ Voices at Monticello, Best Old Dominion Heritage TV
- Prisoners in Virginia Only Get Photocopies of Incoming Mail, Best Serious Feature
- Megan Pauly, Best Reporter
- Ben Paviour for Politics/Government Accountability, Best Specialty Reporting
- Removal of A.P. Hill Statue Points to New Era in Richmond History, Best Old Dominion Heritage Radio
- Another Way: How One City Reckons With Gun Violence, Excellence in Public Service Through Journalism
NETA/Public Media Awards:
- Admissible: Shreds of Evidence, Best Podcast
- Life in the Heart Land, Community Initiative Winner
- Illustration From Unique Perspectives, Social Media Campaign: Amina Coleman—Juneteenth,Justice Dwight—Pride Month, Bryce Cobb—Black Music Month, Shayma Alshir—Ramadan, Nico Cathcart—Women’s History Month
Signal Awards:
- Admissible: Shreds of Evidence, Listener’s Choice Documentary Podcast
Telly Awards:
Silver Tellys
- Hidden History with Brian Bullock, Online Series - History
- Virginia Home Grown: Clippings, Television Series - Series: Nature & Wildlife
- Raised/Razed, 2023 People’s Telly - Silver Telly Award Winner, People’s Telly General - Television Series/Shows/Segments
Bronze Tellys
- VPM News Focal Point: Elder Activists, Television General – Public Interest/Awareness
- VPM News Focal Point: Non-Profit Newsrooms Filling the Reporting Gap, Television General – Information
- Virginia Home Grown 2204: Hone Quarry, Television General – Education & Training
- Virginia Home Grown 2206: Carter Farms, Television General – D&I
- Hidden History with Brian Bullock, Online Series – Series: Education & Discovery
- Raised/Razed, Television General – Documentary Long Form
All of this and so much more is made possible thanks to community members like you who partner with VPM to deliver the best in public media each year. Give by December 31 to secure your 2023 tax benefits and support the VPM programs you love and rely on.
*Not sure if you have VPM Passport? Check HERE.