December 19th, 2024 - VPM and the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) are thrilled to announce their new collaborative venture, The Virginia Press Room, a weekly podcast designed to give listeners direct access to the latest headlines, expert analysis, and behind-the-scenes insights from Virginia’s top political reporters.
Hosted by Michael Pope, former host of Pod Virginia, The Virginia Press Room brings listeners in-depth commentary and contextual reporting on the stories that matter most to the Commonwealth. Pope, a familiar voice from Virginia Public Radio, will guide conversations with a rotating cast of reporters from Virginia’s press corps, offering a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on Virginia politics and local government.
Premiering every Monday at 4:30 a.m., The Virginia Press Room is powered by VaNews, VPAP’s popular daily aggregation of Virginia’s top political headlines, and award-winning newsroom and podcast producer, VPM. The podcast offers listeners a front-row seat to the state’s most important stories, featuring reporters you’ve seen in VaNews, heard on the radio on VPM, or read in Virginia’s leading news outlets.
“VPM is committed to local journalism and delivering impactful information for Virginians to form their own decisions,” said VPM Chief Content Officer Steve Humble. “VPAP provides an important service as a news aggregator, and we are thrilled to partner with them to engage a new audience by highlighting the important news of the week. The podcast will give listeners deeper context on the stories that affect us all in the Commonwealth.”
VPAP’s Executive Director Chris Piper adds, “We’re thrilled to partner with VPM on this project that expands our shared commitment to informing Virginians. By leveraging VaNews as the foundation for this podcast, The Virginia Press Room extends our mission of transparency and accessibility in Virginia politics. This is an exciting opportunity to offer listeners even more context and clarity about the decisions affecting their lives.”
How to Tune InThe first episode of The Virginia Press Room debuts Monday, January 6, at 4:30 a.m. Listeners can:
- Find the latest episode featured at vpm.org/vapressroom, wherever you get your podcasts and VaNews every Monday morning
- Subscribe to VaNews on vpap.org to get episodes delivered straight to your inbox.
Podcast Details:
- Name: The Virginia Press Room
- Presented by: VPM & VPAP
- Host: Michael Pope of Virginia Public Radio, former host of Pod Virginia
- When: Every Monday at 4:30 a.m.
About VPM: As Virginia’s home for public media, VPM connects nearly 2 million people across Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley to insightful programming in news, education, arts and culture across its television, radio and digital channels. The VPM News team delivers award-winning coverage of Virginia’s General Assembly; statewide politics; educational, economic and legal issues; as well as the news of the day. VPM produces acclaimed series and documentaries, plus a range of music shows with local hosts curating selections in classical, jazz, hop-hop and alternative music. VPM also creates content through its Science Matters initiative and provides early childhood educational resources to families, caregivers and educators. Since 2021, VPM has operated Style Weekly, a magazine centered on deeper arts and culture coverage and local storytelling. Learn more at VPM.org and on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram and several channels on YouTube.
About VPAP:The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) was established in 1997 to provide Virginians access to public documents reflecting financial aspects of politics. Over the years, VPAP has expanded its services to offer citizens access to diverse political news and public data on topics like campaign finance, elections, registrations and disclosures, legislative votes, and political developments.
VPAP is committed to being fiercely nonpartisan and to fostering transparency in Virginia's politics and government so that citizens have the information necessary to make decisions that align with their values.
VPAP's unique, nonpartisan approach is supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. Our work has won awards from numerous organizations, including the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, the Wilder School of Public Policy at VCU and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Learn more about VPAP and the work they’re doing at vpap.org.
