Southern California Public Radio secures $500,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) a two-year grant of $500,000 to advance the growth of LAist Studios, SCPR’s podcast development and production division, and its mission of addressing the content needs of young and underserved audiences.

With Latino audiences making up nearly half of the Southern California region, the funding will support staffing and help LAist Studios empower up-and-coming content creators by giving them the tools to develop shows and engage diverse young audiences.

“Since day one, our mission has been to create innovative on-demand audio that is representative of our amazing city. We are grateful for CPB’s support and excited to build on our momentum” said Kristen Muller, Chief Content Officer of SCPR.

“Southern California Public Radio has a proven record of producing engaging. on-demand programming,” said Kathy Merritt, CPB Senior Vice President, Radio, Journalism and CSG Services. “CPB is pleased to support their efforts to build on that record to reflect the rich cultural landscape of Los Angeles and engage with audiences seeking connection, information, and entertainment.

LAist Studios is committed to telling stories that go beyond the surface to reflect the rich cultural landscape of Los Angeles and embrace the diverse voices of the region’s community. Launched in 2019, shows created by LAist Studios include “The Big One,” “Servant of Pod,” “Hollywood, the Sequel,” “California City,” “California Love,” and the recently released “Norco ‘80”.

Apple recently included “California Love” on their Favorite Podcasts of 2020 list, and Spotify named it one of the Top Podcasts of 2020, including the episode “Ellie” on the Spotify 2020 Podcast Hall of Fame playlist. In the 2020 Podcast of the Year awards, Adweek honored the “California Love” episode “P-Line” as Episode of the Year; named host Walter Thompson-Hernández Podcast Innovator of the Year; and named producer Megan Tan Producer of the Year. Further, Bello Collective included “California City” and “California Love” on its annual “Bello 100” list of their favorite podcasts of the year.

About Southern California Public Radio (SCPR)

Southern California Public Radio (https://scpr.org) is a member-supported public radio and multi-platform media network, home of flagship station 89.3 KPCC-FM and LAist (https://laist.com), a digital companion that combines in-depth local coverage with unique insights into life in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Reaching more than 900,000 listeners every week, SCPR is the most listened-to public radio news service in Southern California and is recognized nationally as a leader in public service journalism and civic engagement. The network’s five stations (89.3 KPCC-FM in Los Angeles and Orange County, 89.1 KUOR-FM in the Inland Empire, 90.3 KVLA-FM in the Coachella Valley, 89.9 FM in Santa Barbara, and 89.5 KJAI Ojai in Ventura County) serve the diverse communities of Southern California with award-winning local news coverage, the most NPR content available anywhere in the region, and signature public radio programs from APM, the BBC and PRI. KPCC has garnered more than 500 journalistic honors since 1999, more than all other radio stations in Los Angeles combined. LAist Studios (https://laiststudios.com), a brand extension of LAist, is a dedicated podcast development and production studio, furthering the organization’s commitment to premium on-demand audio storytelling with a uniquely Los Angeles point-of-view.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.