Reno, Nev. — NPR is joining the Mountain West News Bureau to create a regional newsroom that brings together public media organizations across seven Western states, including KUNR Public Radio. This collaboration advances the NPR Network’s mission to deliver journalism that helps people make well-informed decisions for their families and their communities.
The new regional newsroom expands the successful Mountain West News Bureau, founded in 2018 with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It also continues the growth of NPR’s regional newsroom model, which enables neighboring stations to share reporting and editing, plan coverage together and uncover important stories, in partnership with NPR. The Mountain West News Bureau joins regional newsrooms in Texas, California, the Gulf States, the Midwest, New England, and Appalachia and the Mid-South.
The newsroom is supported by contributions from the partner stations and by a grant from Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation. The grant enables the newsroom to add a full-time digital editor and a journalist focused on Indigenous affairs, which allows it to strengthen reporting on issues impacting Native communities and to grow its digital presence.
The regional newsroom has six managing partner stations across the Mountain West — KUNR Public Radio in Reno, Nevada Public Radio in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KANW in New Mexico, KUNC in Colorado, and Wyoming Public Media — along with nearly a dozen other affiliated stations and NPR. Colorado Public Radio in Denver and KJZZ in Phoenix have also joined the regional newsroom as associate partners.
“NPR is committed to working more closely with these Mountain West stations to serve the public’s need for trusted reporting from this vast section of the country,” said Edith Chapin, NPR Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief and acting Chief Content Officer.
“We’re eager to examine the use of public lands, the demands on water and energy resources and other vital issues for people in this area.”
“The Mountain West News Bureau is eager to expand,” said Tom Michael, general manager of Boise State Public Radio, the regional newsroom’s lead station. “In addition to daily news and enterprise reporting, we are working with partners Koahnic Broadcast Corp. and Native Public Media on covering Indigenous affairs. Our newest partners will help us deepen our journalism and elevate our work.”
Michael de Yoanna is the managing editor of the Mountain West News Bureau, coordinating with news leaders at the partner stations and serving as a key liaison with NPR. “By working together in this way,” he said, “these public media organizations can do more local reporting and add context and perspective that helps people understand the complexities of this region. The bureau will be a hub for collaboration and help expand meaningful, in-depth and investigative reporting across our vast region.”
At KUNR, reporter Kaleb Roedel serves as the station’s Mountain West News Bureau correspondent. He regularly covers public lands, renewable energy and tribal issues among many others for the bureau.
“As a founding partner of the Mountain West News Bureau, KUNR is excited to be a part of this expanded partnership with our colleagues at NPR to better serve our listeners in Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra and to share stories about their region to a broader national audience,” said Brian Duggan, general manager of KUNR Public Radio, which is part of the Reynolds School of Journalism based on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.
About NPR
NPR’s rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connects with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 16 international bureaus, NPR and its Member organizations are never far from where a story is unfolding.
Listeners can find NPR by tuning in to their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), downloading the NPR App or asking Alexa to "Play NPR." The NPR mobile app brings together the best of the NPR Network from around the world and right in your community — live radio, podcasts, the latest local and national news and more — available wherever you are and whenever you want. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram.
About KUNR Public Radio
KUNR Public Radio is an FCC-licensed nonprofit organization that’s owned by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents and is dedicated to continuously providing community news and information, celebrating local music and culture, and providing public safety services. It was founded in October 1963 on the UNR campus where it continues to operate to this day.
Our station provides 24/7 programming on the air and online to more than 722,000 people in Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra for free. Our station includes KNCJ Nevada Classical & Jazz, the only classical and jazz music station in Reno- Sparks, as well as KNCC Elko, which provides all of KUNR’s programming plus locally produced, original broadcast journalism to Northeastern Nevada.
Media contacts
- Danielle Wilson, NPR
- mediarelations@npr.org
- Brian Duggan, General Manager, KUNR Public Radio
- bduggan@kunr.org
- bduggan@kunr.org