New York Public Radio to Receive $10 Million Gift from The Jerome L. Greene Foundation
(New York, NY – November 14, 2017) – New York Public Radio, home to New York City’s leading public radio stations WNYC and WQXR and WNYC Studios, one of most influential producers of podcasts and original audio programming, announced that the Jerome L. Greene Foundation has made a commitment of $10 million in support of the organization’s strategic content initiatives. The gift was announced yesterday at New York Public Radio’s annual gala.
The Foundation’s support will assist on several key programming priorities: the expansion of WNYC’s award-winning local journalism on radio and digital platforms, critical at a time when local journalism around the country is diminishing; the expansion of WQXR’s digital offerings as the global authority for classical music; and the enhancement of live programming and audience experience at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, WNYC and WQXR’s state of the art live event space and broadcast studio. The funding will enable WNYC to become an essential leader for a new ecosystem for news in New York City, fueling the transformation of the WNYC newsroom into a fully multiplatform journalism service with increased digital reach, digital audience engagement, and ability to systematically partner with other news organizations to produce impactful journalism.
The gift builds on previous philanthropic support from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. In 2006, the Foundation gave New York Public Radio $6 million - the largest gift ever to a public radio station at that time - to build out the organization’s first-ever live event space. In 2010, the Foundation provided a critical matching gift of $5 million to help New York Public Radio preserve classical music radio for New Yorkers when it acquired WQXR from The New York Times. In 2014, a $10 million gift was essential in supporting New York Public Radio’s digital transformation, setting the stage for the creation of WNYC Studios in 2015, which is now the second largest producer of podcasts in the world.
“At every moment of transformation, when we ran towards the future and disrupted ourselves, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation has been right there by our side,” said Laura Walker, President and CEO, New York Public Radio. “Their visionary support and our shared values have been critical to our evolution from a local public radio station into top producer of quality journalism, live programming, and classical music that engages audiences in meaningful ways and builds community and connection on air, online and in person. We are deeply grateful for their extraordinary generosity as we both deepen our roots here in New York and New Jersey, and broaden our service to audiences on our digital platforms.”
“New York Public Radio is one of the most vital institutions in New York,” said Christina McInerney of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. “Thanks to Laura Walker’s leadership and her extraordinary team, WNYC has grown to meet challenges, expand audiences, strengthen its voice, and find its place in a new digital landscape. At no point in the history of public radio have these objectives been more critical. Our support for their mission is resolute.”
About New York Public Radio
With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, New York Public Radio produces innovative public radio programs, podcasts, and live events that touch a passionate community of over 26 million people monthly on air, online and in person. From its state-of-the-art studios in New York City, NYPR is reshaping radio for a new generation of listeners with groundbreaking, award-winning programs including Radiolab, Freakonomics Radio, On the Media, Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin and Carnegie Hall Live, among many others. New York Public Radio includes WNYC, WQXR, WNYC Studios, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio. Further information about programs, podcasts, and stations may be found at www.nypublicradio.org.
About The Jerome L. Greene Foundation
For almost four decades the mission of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation has been to support significant institutions that provide education, medicine, arts and culture, and social justice to enrich and advance people’s lives in New York City.
