Additional Funding Will Strengthen Local Journalism in the Region Through 2028
Washington, D.C. (November 25, 2025) — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced an additional $507,000 investment in the Mountain West News Bureau (MWNB), extending the regional journalism collaboration through June 30, 2028, and enabling the addition of a new Digital Editor to strengthen its multi-platform reporting. This brings CPB’s total support for the project to more than $1 million.
Established with CPB funding in 2017, the Mountain West News Bureau produces original, high-impact journalism on rural, land, environmental, and Tribal issues across one of the largest geographic coverage areas in the country — more than 750,000 square miles spanning Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Over the past eight years, MWNB has expanded the reporting capacity of small and mid-sized public media newsrooms, ensuring that stories unique to the Mountain West are told with depth, context, and local expertise.
Led by Boise State Public Radio, the collaboration includes KUNC (Greeley, CO), Wyoming Public Media (Laramie, WY), KUNR (Reno, NV), KNPR (Las Vegas, NV), KANW (Albuquerque, NM), new partner National Public Radio, and new associate station partners Colorado Public Radio (Centennial, CO) and KJZZ (Phoenix, AZ). Together, they support a managing editor, a team of six full-time station-based reporters, and additional part-time reporters and production staff producing enterprise journalism for broadcast, digital platforms, and visual storytelling across partner websites and social media channels.
“Public media plays a vital role in ensuring that communities—especially rural and underserved ones—have access to trusted local journalism,” said Kathy Merritt, chief operating officer of CPB. “By extending this grant and supporting the growth of the Mountain West News Bureau, CPB is helping strengthen a regional collaboration that continues to deliver essential reporting on issues that shape the daily lives and future of Mountain West residents.”
“This support from CPB strengthens our ability to listen to communities across the Mountain West and bring their stories forward,” said Tom Michael, general manager of Boise State Public Radio. “These are timely stories of families, workers, and neighbors navigating change in the places they call home. By collaborating across newsrooms, we’re ensuring that local voices are heard, respected, and reflected in the journalism that serves them.”
This renewed investment builds on CPB’s long history of supporting trusted journalism across the country — a commitment totaling hundreds of millions of dollars over the past two decades. Through dozens of local and regional journalism collaborations, CPB has helped expand reporting capacity, deepen coverage of underreported communities, and ensure that Americans everywhere have access to fact-based, community-centered news.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967. It has helped support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services. With the rescission of federal funds for FY 2026 and FY 2027, CPB is in the process of winding down operations. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn.
