2022 Annual Report
Celebrating 50 Years of St. Louis Public Radio

2022 Annual Report

Transformative Radio with Vision

July 2021 - June 2022

From the CEO

CEO Tina Pamintuan
CEO Tina Pamintuan

This year, we celebrate 50 years of St. Louis Public Radio. From our humble beginnings in UMSL’s Lucas Hall to our home in Grand Center, STLPR has transformed the way local audiences understand and experience the events and issues that shape daily life in our region.

Over five decades, we have grown from a radio station with a small staff to a regional powerhouse with multiple streams of content centered on breaking news, in-depth reporting, engaged storytelling and music. Our transformation continues. As we look to the next 50 years, we embark on a period of strategic planning that centers equity and brings our urban and rural communities into sharper focus.

In 2023 and beyond, we have set our sights on including younger and more diverse audiences: communities we have not spoken to directly in the past whose listening habits and preferences will undoubtedly introduce us to new platforms and new ways of presenting and understanding the complex narratives of our region, our state, and our country. We are committed to this challenging work while continuing to honor the loyalty and dedication of long-time listeners. Our journey would not be possible without your support.

As we look forward to these pivotal transformations, which will keep STLPR at the forefront of local journalism and continue to make us an essential local news and culture organization, we are unwavering in our mission: to provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas and cultures for a more inspired and engaged public.

signed, Tina Pamintuan

Tina Pamintuan, CEO

Dynamic media, when and where it matters

142,000

Weekly radio listeners

3.6 million

Yearly stlpr.org visitors

6 million page views

1.9 million

Yearly podcast downloads

Podcasts include The Gateway, St. Louis on the Air, Politically Speaking, We Live Here, and Lights, Audio, Action!

70,000

Monthly streaming listeners

Channels include KWMU-1, Jazz KWMU-2, and Classical KWMU-3

53,800

Newsletter subscribers

Free subscriptions include The Gateway, Off Mic, and eUpdates

New Voices

Autentico Hosts Gabriela Ramirez-Arrellano and Alajandro Santiago Ortega

We Live Here and We Live Here Auténtico

St. Louis Public Radio premiered a new season of We Live Here, an award-winning podcast on race and class now in its sixth year. Born in the wake of the Ferguson Uprising, episodes range from investigative accountability pieces to storybased reflections with a focus on everyday people interested in racial equity.

STLPR also launched a spinoff podcast in We Live Here Auténtico, celebrating the diversity of Latino voices in St. Louis.

Hosts Gabriela Ramirez-Arrellano and Alejandro Santiago Ortega focus on bilingual Latino professionals and small-business owners.

Listen to Episodes
musician Keyon Harrold on the trumpet

Fresh Jazz Voices Visit The Next Set

STLPR welcomed Grammy-nominated musician Keyon Harrold as the host of The Next Set, Live From Jazz St. Louis. The weekly show, a collaboration between St. Louis Public Radio and Jazz St. Louis, ushered a stream of St. Louis-based talent and ground breaking international performances from the Ferring Jazz Bistro onto St. Louis airwaves

Highlights included the jazz/Cuban pop fusion of Havana-based pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa; a new video game music (VGM) project from Kendrick Smith and Fusebox; a stirring two-episode tribute to the late Montez Coleman; and another astounding JazzU showcase of the region’s most talented young musicians.

Listen to Episodes

Lights, Audio, Action!

St. Louis Public Radio provides a rare peek behind the theater curtain with the 2022 launch of the Lights, Audio, Action! podcast.

In an homage to radio of old, listeners can immerse themselves in story through the voices of film, theater, and television writers in raw performances of dramatic table reads. New scripts come to life in the spirit of classic radio dramas with a slightly modern twist, with the help of Missouri actors, directors, producers, and audio engineers.

Episodes are based on winning scripts from the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting Fellowship and produced in partnership with the Missouri Film Office, a part of the Missouri Division of Tourism.

Listen to Episodes

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 2022, July 2021 through June 2022.

Public Media Journalists Association, News Feature, First Place — Student Division

Black Missouri farmer: ‘We are a rapidly dying species’

Public Media Journalists Association, Photojournalism, Second Place
Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Photo Spread/Essay

Thousands of high schoolers put music in motion this weekend at the Dome

Missouri Broadcasters Association Award, Documentary/Public Affairs

A growing number of Black families are taking education into their own hands by homeschooling

Missouri Broadcasters Association Award, Documentary/Public Affairs, First Place
Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Explanatory Reporting

Ending the racial wealth gap through reparations: Local policies or federal payments?

Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Digital
Missouri Broadcasters Association Award, Convergent Media, First Place

30,000 St. Louis properties have racial covenants in their deeds. Your home could be one

Missouri Broadcasters Association Award, Local Website, Certificate of Merit

stlpr.org Read More

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Explanatory Reporting — Radio/Audio

Black St. Louisans turn to therapy, nature and family to heal from police violence

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Features — Radio/Audio

Rolla becomes a hub for vacuum cleaner enthusiasts

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Investigative Reporting — Radio/Audio & TV/Video

St. Louis homeless services Read More

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Features — Online Only

Missouri inmates sew custom quilts for foster children: ‘It kind of breaks your heart’ Read More

Regional Edward R. Murrow Award — News Documentary

Michael Politte has served 22 years for murder. Experts say he’s innocent

Regional Edward R. Murrow Award — Feature Reporting

Chestnuts growing on an open field. Missouri farmers can make $6,000 an acre harvesting them

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Features — Radio/Audio

Missouri’s oldest one-room African American schoolhouse gets a new chance at life

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Sports — Radio/Audio & TV/Video

In a New Year’s Day battle of soccer and sausage, St. Louis takes on the Metro East in Chorizo Bowl

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Ongoing Coverage Print/Online
Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Ongoing Coverage Radio/Audio

Coverage of Medicaid expansion Read More

Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Award, Pandemic Coverage

Coverage of COVID-19 Read More

50 Years of STLPR

Explore our History

Financials

Financial graphs illustrate the unaudited operating revenue and expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. Audited results are available online at stlpr.org/publicdocuments.

Program Services 63.2% Lease Amortization 2% Depreciation 2% Administrative 7.7% Expenses Community Support 88.4% Other Grants 2.2% Corporation for Public Broadcasting Grant 9.4% Revenue
Operating Endowment 18 19 20 21 22 $2,953 $2,516 $2,116 $3,051 $3,034 $2,656 $2,794 $1,656 $666 $535

Cash and Investments at Year-End

($ in thousands)

Supporters

Behind the Scenes


St. Louis Public Radio is a listener-supported service of the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

In Memory of Dennis Owlsey

An author, photographer and jazz historian who shared his love of an American art form every Sunday through his St. Louis Public Radio show Jazz Unlimited. We were fortunate to share in his joy and dedication to jazz.