It’s been a week since a small delegation from TPR traveled from San Antonio to New York City to collect our Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Large Market Radio.
This award is one of the most prestigious in journalism, and I am very proud of it, but I am most proud of the collaborative effort that achieved the standard of excellence which it recognizes.
Of course, huge credit goes to the reporters, editors and producers who have worked tirelessly to cover the avalanche of news our community has been confronted with in recent years. Our News Team is always quick to also credit the folks in administrative and support roles at TPR that keep things moving along.
You also played an absolute critical role with the financial support you provide. It allows our team to deliver this public service in unprecedented times. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to cover regional stories like the Robb Elementary School shooting,...the migrant tractor trailer tragedy,...and the wave of migration at the border.
You’ve also allowed our News Team to report on the fallout from the overturn of Roe V. Wade,...the inflation economy,...and the Midterm elections. We rely on your contributions to help us hold people in power accountable for their actions, and expose corruption in local, state, and federal government — and the alarming ascendancy of fascism in our country.
My family history makes that last point particularly meaningful to me.
My grandparents were refugees fleeing the carnage of fascism in Europe and my parents were born in the ashes of the Holocaust. More than 400,000 American soldiers, including more than 22,000 Texans, died fighting fascism during World War II.
The kind of journalism we provide wasn’t possible back then.
There was no Corporation for Public Broadcasting. No NPR. No TPR. No “member supported” radio...
We’re going through some scary times right now, but through this miracle that is public radio, we are in it together.
Member support keeps us truly independent - and in the position to foster the kind of understanding and civic dialogue that leads to meaningful change.
Pause for a moment...think about all you’ve heard on TPR lately and just how critical fact-based, reliable, nuanced reporting is to you and your family.
This kind of journalism is only possible because of listeners like you who think of their membership to TPR as an important part of their civic duty.
If you’re not already, I invite you to become a TPR member. If you are a member, anyincreasein your monthly contribution will make a difference.
Thank you.
