2023 Annual Report

2023 Annual Report

Award-Winning Journalism

July 2022 - June 2023

From the CEO

CEO Tina Pamintuan
CEO Tina Pamintuan

As an essential local journalism institution, St. Louis Public Radio prides itself on the trust and support we’ve earned from our audience. We are here for the residents of St. Louis and for the champions of our city and region. Over the last several decades, that audience — whether on-air or online — has shown up for us.

This year was no exception. As we made plans to update and reassess how we fulfill our mission, we felt the guiding care of our community. Our supporters expect us to continue as a beacon of truth and a local forum for civil discourse. In this final phase of our strategic plan, we received vital feedback from our staff, board, and larger community. We know we are not alone in taking on the many daunting transitions facing journalism today: a changing audience, digital transformation, and a future where AI, in all of its complexities, is a certainty.

The local events and issues STLPR covered this past year were often heartrending and complicated human dramas showcasing the realities of our world as we live and as we shape it. The tragic shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience. Missouri’s bans on abortion and on gender-affirming care. The historic flooding. St. Louis and our surrounding regions saw their share of difficult news cycles amid the backdrop of national and international news.

We report on these narratives with the highest attention to detail and journalistic integrity. As always, our editors are careful to place people and their lives at the center of the story. That steady professionalism has led to unprecedented successes in the past 12 months.

This past year saw the largest number of annual downloads for our flagship public affairs program, St. Louis on the Air. The Gateway podcast marked its 1,000th episode. And, our local newsroom won the most awards it has ever garnered in a single year, 23 honors.

In this next year and beyond, let’s set our sights on how STLPR can reinvent its role as a community institution, how it can help guide the city and region itself, to a more vibrant St. Louis and a more vibrant Midwest.

signed, Tina Pamintuan

Tina Pamintuan, CEO

Dynamic media, when and where it matters

239,000

Monthly radio listeners

312,000

Monthly stlpr.org visitors

529,000 monthly page views

120,000

Monthly podcast downloads

Podcasts include The Gateway, St. Louis on the Air, and Politically Speaking

71,000

Monthly streaming listeners

350,000 monthly listening hours

50,200

Newsletter subscribers

Free subscriptions include The Gateway, Off Mic, and eUpdates

Elaine Cha in the St. Louis on the Air studios
St. Louis On The Air host Elaine Cha on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at St. Louis Public Radio’s headquarters in Grand Center.
St. Louis on the Air team
Sound Engineer Aaron Doerr, Producer Danny Wicentowski, Executive Producer Alex Heuer, Elaine Cha, Producer Miya Norfleet and Senior Producer Emily Woodbury.
St. Louis on the Air team
Alex Heuer, Elaine Cha, and Miya Norfleet.
St. Louis on the Air team in a circle with their hands in the center
Danny, Aaron, Alex, Elaine, Miya and Emily go hands in before the show.
The Next Gen Radio team in front of STLPR.
The 2022 NPR Next Generation Radio Project's cohort and mentors. Back row: Meena Vishwanathan, Elizabeth Gabriel, Walter Thomas-Patterson (on laptop), Phillip A. Clark, Zachary Smith, WBEZ's Ariel Van Cleve, Kathleen Lees, founder Doug Mitchell. Second row: WUNC's Eli Chen, Jaz'min Franks, Britny Cordera, and illustrator Yunyi Dai.

Award-Winning Journalism

St. Louis Public Radio delivers local stories that encourage a deeper understanding of our region. Our local journalists bring clarity, context, and humanity to the news. The following reporters and stories were recognized with awards for excellence and service to the community during fiscal year 2023, July 2022 through June 2023.

Where it Hurts Chapter 5 - Poppyseed Bread, Orange Glaze and Chemo

AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism, Auditory Journalism

“No Mercy”: With Rural Hospital Gone, Cancer Care Means a Daylong Trek, Where it Hurts
Rubble and overgrown brush line the former site of the now-shuttered Litton Systems

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Convergent Media, First Place
Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Investigative Reporting
Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., Finalist

Missouri knew of contamination in Springfield’s groundwater decades before anyone told residents
Lara Hamdan, Engagement Editor walks down a city street as workers cut down diseased trees.

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Video for Radio, First Place

Why there’s an uptick in tree removals in St. Louis Watch on YouTube
The town of Houston, Missouri has only 2,500 residents and is far off the beaten path, yet it still doesn’t qualify as

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Documentary/Public Affairs, First Place

What makes a town ‘rural’? The answer can mean the difference of billions in federal aid
Some of the older Afghan children play soccer at STL Futbol Club on a recent Saturday. The weekly program will extend through the end of April.

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Feature Reporting, First Place
Illinois Broadcasters Association, Crystal Microphone Award, Best Sports Report

Amid chaos, young Afghan refugees find something familiar in St. Louis — soccer
The homepage of stlpr.org

Missouri Broadcasters Association Award, Local Website, First Place

stlpr.org Visit the website
Emily Woodbury, producer for St. Louis on the Air stands in an insect lab at the Missouri Botanical Garden in Chesterfield.

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Video for Radio, Certificate of Merit

How 101 illegally transported tarantulas ended up at Missouri Botanical Garden’s Butterfly House Watch on YouTube
Harmony Jones, 6, of north St. Louis, looks towards her coach on March 9 during a North City Blues practice at the Enterprise Center. The North City Blues is the St. Louis Blues’ newest youth hockey initiative launched to offer s free after-school program to students ages 4-10 enrolled in KIPP Schools and/or Friendly Temple Christian Academy.

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Sports, Certificate of Merit

The Blues hope a new after-school program helps hockey reach more diverse communities
Members of the St. Louis Islamic Center serve themselves food

Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Missouri Broadcasters Association, Feature Reporting, Certificate of Merit

Muslim families in Mehlville celebrate as the district makes Eid al-Fitr a school holiday
Politics Reporter Jason Rosenbaum stands in the center of a boxing ring at the South Broadway Athletic Club

Missouri Broadcasters Association, Social Media Star, Certificate of Merit

St. Louis’ connection with professional wrestling is quite deep Watch on Instagram
Maria and Miguel Cisneros hold the deed for their house in Golden Valley which contains a racial covenant. Maria found that despite being illegal, the covenant could not be removed. Instead the county attached a piece of paper to the deed disavowing the offensive language.

NABJ Salute to Excellence

Racial covenants, a relic of the past, are still on the books across the country
The newly constructed Black Power Vanguards basketball court constructed by the local African People’s Socialist Party group on Thursday on the corner of West Florissant and College in the Fairground neighborhood.

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award

St. Louis has a new basketball court. Its funders were raided by the FBI
Phương Tâm performs at the Miss Vietnam Beauty Pageant with the Khanh Bang band at the Hung Dao Theatre in Saigon in 1965. Courtesy of Phương Tâm

Tulsa Press Club, Great Plains Journalism Award

A St. Louis woman discovered her mom’s secret past — as a Vietnamese rock star Read More
Butch Hartman, 46, of Perryville, Mo., lower center, and Tom Hoelscher, of Ellis Grove, Ill., work on monster truck chases on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Concussion Motorsports’ headquarters in Ellis Grove, Ill.

Illinois Broadcasters Association, Crystal Microphone Award, Best Use of Sound

Inside the Illinois workshop building 10,000-pound monster trucks
A historic photograph showing the children of Hiley McWorter and Alexander Clark circa 1872 on April 12 at the New Philadelphia National Historic Site in western Illinois.

Illinois Broadcasters Association, Crystal Microphone Award, Best Writing

‘Now it never will be forgotten’: Illinois’ New Philadelphia becomes a national park
From left, George McClellan, vice president of the East St. Louis NAACP; Curtis McCall Sr., mayor of Cahokia Heights, and Robert Eastern III, mayor of East St. Louis, answer questions regarding their letter to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Illinois Broadcasters Association, Crystal Microphone Award, Best Investigative Report

Reporting on flooding and sewage issues in Cahokia Heights Read More
Hundreds release balloons to remember physical education teacher Jean Kuczka and 15-year-old student Alexzandria Bell on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, outside of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. The two were killed during a school shooting earlier in the week.

Public Media Journalists Association, First Place, Breaking News

CVPA and CSMB shooting, breaking news coverage Read More
Newscaster Wayne Pratt in the studio with his script, mic, and computer equipment

Illinois Broadcasters Association, Crystal Microphone Award, Best Newscast

Wayne Pratt’s newscasting Read More
Economic Development Reporter Eric Schmid holding a boom mic outdoors.

Illinois Broadcasters Association, Best Reporter, Large Market Radio

Eric Schmid’s reporting Read More

Financials

Financial graphs illustrate the unaudited operating revenue and expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Audited results will be available online at stlpr.org/publicdocuments.

Revenue FY2023 Community Support 90.9% Corporation for Public Broadcasting Grant 6.9% Other Grants 2.2% Expenses FY2023 Program Services 64.6% Fundraising & Corporate Support 25.1% Administrative 8.4% Depreciation 2.1% Lease Amortization 1.5%

Cash and Investments at Year-End

($ in thousands) 20 21 22 23 $1,656 $2,116 $2,794 $3,051 $3,034 $2,656 $2,382 $4,144 Endowment Operating

Supporters

Behind the Scenes


St. Louis Public Radio is a listener-supported service of the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Illustration of a blue bird with headphones by Reika

STLPR creates bird safe-space

Thanks to St. Louis Public Radio listeners, birds traveling the flight path around our headquarters at UMSL at Grand Center will have a much safer journey.

All of the station’s Give STL Day contributions in May, 2022 were dedicated to making the building a more bird-safe space with the installation of stickers on key window exteriors. The decals break up the reflection of sky and trees that so often confuse migratory birds.

For this bird-friendly improvement, we and our avian friends say, “Thank you!”