Telling your stories and connecting you to what matters to our community is at the core of what we do. As we celebrate Public Media Giving Days (PMGD) on May 1-2 of 2024, we would like to acknowledge the positive, local impact of public media that reaches beyond the airwaves. Check out some of the news coverage, projects and other initiatives that continue to have a positive impact on our community.
- A series that began back in 2020, “Dreams Deferred” explores how direct-to-school debt is creating hardships for students, making it difficult for them to complete their degrees and advance their careers. The series addresses the state and school policies that perpetuate this problem and looks at what some schools are doing to help students with this debt finish school.
- In February 2023, VPM launched the award-winning podcast ADMISSIBLE: SHREDS OF EVIDENCE, which examines 13 wrongful convictions all tied to one forensic analyst, Mary Jane Burton. The series resulted in a state-mandated review of allegations made in the show after a recommendation was made to alert all parties in criminal cases Burton was involved with.
- In May 2023, VPM announced that it was partnering with Lunenburg Correctional Center and Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) in a new pilot program to deliver educational content to incarcerated individuals with a technology known as datacasting. The process allows VPM to use a portion of its over-the-air broadcast signal to create a secure, one-way, encrypted data pipeline between SVCC and Lunenburg. The partnership between VPM, SVCC and Lunenburg enables the pursuit of a shared vision for equitable educational opportunities for all, including those who are incarcerated.
- In October 2023, VPM helped unveil a brand-new mural by artist David Marion of Liberated Flow at The Market at 25th in Richmond. The mural was created in partnership with The Market at 25th and students and families of Richmond Public Schools (RPS) and is featured in The Market’s community room. The artwork pays homage to the East End community’s culture and family spirit and the educational and generational impact of public media programming.
- Curious Commonwealth is a VPM News series that explores audience questions about Virginia — its quirks, its policies and its communities. The series won “Best Newcomer” at the 2023 Champions of Curiosity Awards.
Virginia General Assembly Coverage
- Each year, VPM deploys several of its news reporters to the Virginia General Assembly to report on the myriad of issues that get addressed by legislators. In 2024, VPM News published a comprehensive list of the bills that were either signed, vetoed or amended by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.
This year, passionate public media supporter and VPM member Carole Weinstein will match EVERY DONATION made during the event — up to a total of $10,000! We need your help to unlock this generous bonus and make this year’s PMGD a success! You can learn more about how to get involved with PMGD here.
