Chicago Public Media

Today, federal funding for WBEZ ends. The $3 million we once relied on each year will no longer arrive. But here’s the good news: listeners have already stepped up and closed more than half of that gap. Just $1.4 million remains. With your support, we can finish the job. Donate: https://lnkd.in/gi78e6rW

🎉🎉 🎉 Last week, Chalkbeat Chicago and our wonderful partners at Chicago Public Media won the Online Journalism Award's "Gather Award In Community-Centered Journalism." The teams won for their collaboration on a School Board Voter Guide and coverage around it designed to help parents and city residents vote with confidence in the city’s first-ever school board elections. The Guide was both an online tool (https://lnkd.in/eb_t9UUA) and a physical artifact: the teams printed and distributed 11,000 physical copies all over Chicago. You can read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/evmXdR3P

Rise and Chi! ☀️ Starting today, 9/15 (aka 91.5 day!), we’re saying “Good Morning” to a new WBEZ Chicago morning lineup! Every weekday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., “In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons” is keeping you connected with a news and conversation forum. Sasha-Ann is diving deeper into the stories shaping our city, with different perspectives from experts and your neighbors. It’s where Chicago checks in. Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., listeners are invited to voice their opinions and hear what Chicago’s talking about on “Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith”. Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith tee up the day’s topic, from tariffs to construction on the Kennedy, the Bears to “The Bear,” giving listeners the opportunity to be part of the conversation. Finally, Clare Lane took over as the new co-host of NPR’s “Morning Edition”, an up-to-the-minute news and analysis segment every weekday from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. As always, listeners can tune in live by dialing to 91.5 FM or playing on wbez.org, the WBEZ app or their smart speakers. https://lnkd.in/eiX9tgae

We’re excited to share that Chicago Public Media has been awarded a grant through Press Forward Chicago! The fund is distributing more than $1.5 million to 26 local outlets — and part of that investment will launch a first-of-its-kind immigration reporting hub at CPM. This new initiative will allow us to expand original stories about immigrant communities in Chicago and elevate related reporting from other local newsrooms. It's a unique opportunity for us to deepen coverage of communities that are essential to our city’s story and strengthen how local media reflects Chicago’s diversity. https://lnkd.in/e29rTV9E

WBEZ Chicago is rolling out a refreshed weekday morning schedule starting Sept. 15, featuring two new live talk shows designed to engage listeners with the issues shaping our region, spark meaningful conversation and bring Chicagoans closer together. The new lineup includes "In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons", a Chicago-focused news talk show airing from 9–10 a.m and "Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith", a live, listener-driven conversation airing from 10–11 a.m. In addition, Clare Lane, WBEZ reporter and anchor, steps into a new role as local anchor of NPR’s "Morning Edition", which airs weekdays from 5–9 a.m. alongside NPR’s hosts. To celebrate the debut of WBEZ’s new schedule, the station is hosting two special events as part of our Rise & Chi with WBEZ 91.5 FM campaign: ☀️ Monday, Sept. 15 — Rise Pilates Club at Navy Pier (7 a.m.) A free public outdoor Pilates class led by Olivia Santelli of Rise Pilates Club. Registration required at wbez.org/events ☕ Tuesday, Sept. 16 — Free Coffee with Big Shoulders Coffee The first 100 guests at each participating location will receive a complimentary 16-oz drip coffee, while supplies last. https://lnkd.in/e9qJSAwR

We’re proud to welcome Kimbriell Kelly, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and respected newsroom leader, as our new Editor-in-Chief effective September 2. With deep Chicago roots and a distinguished career at The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Howard University, Kimbriell will lead our unified WBEZ, Vocalo and Chicago Sun-Times editorial team. We’re grateful to Jennifer Kho for her steady leadership as Interim Editor-in-Chief during this complex integration, and we look forward to her continued partnership on a future public media project after she begins her fellowship in the new year. Please join us in welcoming Kimbriell back to Chicago! Read more: https://lnkd.in/gQRg4gv4

Congratulations to our WBEZ Chicago and Chicago Sun-Times staffers and their collaborators for being honored at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Awards last Saturday! National Newspaper — News: Single Story Frank Main, Elvia Malagón, Erica Thompson and Josh Katz, Margot Sanger-Katz and Nick Thieme of The New York Times and Baltimore Banner for “The invisible toll of opioid overdoses on a generation of Black men in America.” Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – News: Single Story Andy Grimm, Natalie Y. Moore for “Smooth and straight — and now sick?” Radio – Top 15 Markets – Feature Tiara Hicks of the Invisible institute and Susie An for “The unsung legacy of Margaret Burroughs.” Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 51-100 – Business Mariah Rush, Lauren FitzPatrick for “Chicago’s answer to food deserts has left a trail of debts, lawsuits and “Can’t pay” an $800 utility bill.” Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Business Erica Thompson for “In Chicago’s Black history, Kitty and the Haywoods hit all the right notes in advertising.” Newspaper – Newsroom Staff 101-200 – Specialty Erica Thompson for “Black women struggle to find Black sperm donors.”

“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia de Stacy Harrison. CPB announced today that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill, which excludes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades. https://lnkd.in/eqJPfP8P

On July 17, Congress voted to claw back $1.1 billion in already-approved federal funding for public media. For Chicago Public Media, that means a $3 million gap in funding—critical support for WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, and more than 1,500 public media organizations nationwide. This federal funding was crucial in sustaining the journalism that keeps Chicago informed and connected. Without them, public media’s role as an independent, paywall-free source of truth is under threat. The federal support disappears on October 1. And while we can’t bring it back, we can step up together to keep public media strong in Chicago. Here’s what you can do today: 1. Become a monthly member of WBEZ and/or the Chicago Sun-Times to help fill the gap. 2. Tell your friends and networks to do the same by sharing this message. 3. Advocate with your representatives to restore this essential funding for public media. Join us in building a future where journalism serves people—not profits. Donate: https://donate.wbez.org/