1A Remaking America
(CLOVIS, CA) – KVPR announced Feb. 17, 2022 that it will bring more stories from the San Joaquin Valley to the national audience of the daily weekday newsmagazine program 1A through 1A Remaking America. A two-year collaborative effort, 1A Remaking America will examine the local causes and effects of a nationally growing distrust in institutions.
The 1A Remaking America collaborative project is supported by a $750,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and will be spearheaded by WAMU 88.5, Washington’s NPR station and the station that produces 1A. Over the course of two years, KVPR and five other public media stations will be an editorial partner to WAMU – the KVPR news team will work closely with 1A’s production team to source stories, conduct live broadcasts and events, produce collaborative content and elevate local journalism.
“The 1A Remaking America initiative will help us bring the critical issues facing our diverse and often overlooked region to the center of the national conversation,” said Alex Burke, KVPR’s Content Director. “In addition to highlighting local stories and voices, the project will give us more capacity for newsgathering, and help us facilitate meaningful conversations in the communities we serve.”
WAMU selected the partner public media stations, including KVPR, because of their deep community ties. Additionally, each participating station’s community continues to grapple with the pandemic and polarized politics – 1A Remaking America will provide a platform for nuanced, diverse issues and concerns from the San Joaquin Valley to be brought to 1A’s 4.5 million weekly listeners on over 440 NPR stations.
“We’re thrilled for this support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as we work to explore what’s transpiring in local communities and impacting our democracy in partnership with our public media colleagues,” said Erika Pulley-Hayes, general manager of WAMU/DCist. “As a pillar of public media, CPB support recognizes the merit of this work and the value of dialogue between local communities and national content creators. We look forward to deepening our relationship with them and our partnering stations over the next two years.”
1A Remaking America can be heard on KVPR weekdays from 9 to 11am, on-demand via 1A’s podcast and found on the1A.org.
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About KVPR KVPR serves residents of Central California with NPR programming, local news, classical music and more. The station operates two programming services: KVPR (FM 89.3 in Fresno and FM 89.1 in Bakersfield) and KVPR Classical (FM 89.3 HD-2 in Fresno), as well as streaming and podcasts at KVPR.org and the KVPR app. For over 40 years, KVPR has been a leading source of news, information and music for listeners in Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced and Mariposa Counties. In 2019, the station was named California Non-Profit of the Year by State Senator Melissa Hurtado, and in 2021 received three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the RTDNA for news coverage, the third consecutive year in a row.
Q&A
What is 1A Remaking America?
1A Remaking America is a two-year reporting collaboration funded through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. KVPR has partnered with WAMU 88.5, Washington’s NPR station and the station that creates and distributes 1A, to produce collaborative content and elevate local journalism examining the lasting impacts of the pandemic and the growing political divides within the country.
What other public media stations are participating in 1A Remaking America?
Participating stations include:
· KVPR – NPR for Central California (Fresno)
· WBHM 90.3 – NPR News for the Heart of Alabama (Birmingham)
· KUNC – NPR for Northern Colorado (Greeley)
· KMUW Wichita (Kansas)
· Louisville Public Media (LPM) (Kentucky)
· KUT News – Austin's NPR member station (Texas)
How can I engage with 1A Remaking America?
Tune into 1A weekdays from 9 to 11am on KVPR to hear the latest 1A Remaking America segments. You can also follow 1A on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and through the 1A Text Club by texting “1A” to 1-844-777-7050. Certain 1A segments are also available in podcast form each week. You can find the 1A podcast on NPR.org or your favorite podcast streaming platform.
When will the events start and can I attend one?
The events supporting 1A Remaking America are still in development. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change, all 1A Remaking America events will be held online and will be a space for local communities to gather and discuss the issues that matter most to them. When the pandemic allows for in-person gatherings again, 1A Remaking America will transition to live, in-person events held across the country. More details about this will be available in the coming months.