Thank you for your interest in working with VPM. We are committed to working with talented producers from varied backgrounds. Prior to submitting your idea or completed project, please read the content strategy below for some guidelines regarding the content we support and insight into our decision-making process.
It is important to us to hear ideas from the community. VPM is a nonprofit and given staffing and budget realities we typically are only able to support a handful of outside projects each year.
The content submission portal is currently closed while we evaluate submissions for the upcoming fiscal year. Please sign up using the form below to be notified when the portal is open to submissions again.
Content Strategy
Storytelling is at the heart of our work. We strive to produce relevant, high-quality, multi-platform content in the areas of television, radio, podcasts, and digital media that is rooted in Virginia, and reflective of the diverse communities we serve.
VPM programming focuses on four key genres: News, History, Arts & Culture, and Science. As a PBS member station and NPR affiliate based in Virginia, VPM produces a mix of local and national content. All content submissions should advance our mission to use the power of media to educate, entertain and inspire, and help achieve our vision of more connected, informed and empathetic Virginians.
VPM is platform agnostic. Research and data help to inform what content works best and on which platform. We will leverage community partnerships and outreach to understand which stories should be prioritized.
VPM’s media footprint is extremely diverse. We serve a largely rural population with several urban centers, with the audience in Richmond over-indexing for African American households.
VPM is guided by an ever-evolving commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Evaluation Criteria and Timeline
When the content submission portal is open, VPM will evaluate program ideas on a monthly basis in order to give all submitters an equal opportunity to have their content ideas considered and evaluated. Submitters can sign up to be notified when the portal reopens if it is closed to new submissions.
Please be mindful of the following criteria when preparing your submission:
- All content submissions should align with at least one of our genres: News, History, Arts & Culture, or Science
- Content should be relevant to our audiences, and all content submissions must include information about potential/intended audience demographics. Submissions should also offer sufficient evidence of knowledge (anecdotal or otherwise) regarding the subject matter and its relevance to the potential/intended audience.
- Producers submitting projects should be familiar with VPM's DEI intention.
- Each project should have a desired distribution strategy (television, radio, podcast, digital, etc.) and rationale.
- Content must meet the editorial integrity and quality standards of public media.
- Projects should consider possible extensions for educational and classroom use.
- Cost and budget will be considered, as well as the ability to offset costs.
These factors will be considered along with our ongoing budget administration to help us make final content decisions. Content ideas will be evaluated by a group of diverse VPM team members and may involve several rounds of review and requests for additional information. Submitters will receive updates throughout the review process. It may take up to 12 weeks from the date of submission to complete the process and arrive at a final decision.
VPM’s Primary Content Genres
News coverage in the U.S. and locally doesn’t seem to be fully meeting the needs of our community. VPM has an opportunity to fill this void and provide a deeper understanding of local and regional issues. We will continue to increase our news coverage across platforms to inform, engage and inspire current and new audiences. VPM News will serve to bring us together, building empathy and a better understanding of various perspectives.
History is vital to our understanding of the past and how we put context around future events. Located Headquartered in Central Virginia, VPM is in a rich historical area of the country with amazing historically relevant sites and deep intellectual capital to draw from. Finding ways to tell these stories across platforms to audiences of all ages will be a priority.
Expanding how our audience sees the world is important, and bringing quality Arts & Culture programming can inspire personal growth and empathetic thinking. We will continue to look for local and nationally relevant Arts & Culture stories that help shape our view of one another and contribute to the vibrancy of our arts community.
Science helps us understand our world. VPM science content will help others to value science and understand its importance to our future. We will look to expand our science content with the Science Matters platform continuing to be our signature initiative. Science content is particularly of interest to teachers, so VPM content must consider curriculum-based materials.