One year after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual federal funding, HPR’s revenue is the highest it has been in the history of the station.
That’s because ever since Congress voted last July to rescind previously allocated money to public media, fans and friends of Hawaiʻi Public Radio have been coming forward in extraordinary ways:
- Our post-rescission fundraising campaigns – those moments where we interrupt your favorite programming to make the case to support a service that strengthens Hawaiʻi – have outperformed big goals.
- Local businesses and foundations have been stepping up in new ways. It’s a delight to welcome dozens of new sponsors and funders into our tent, and to have long-time sponsors sign up for new opportunities on air and online.
- More supporters are deciding to include HPR in their legacy plans, helping to ensure that this essential and beloved service endures for years to come.
While the people we serve rise to the occasion, the HPR staff does the same, providing trusted news and information in times of crisis, launching new local programming, newsletters and podcasts, and bringing people together to celebrate storytelling, music, and the joy of human connection.
That good work has been recognized and quantified. We recently received two regional Murrow awards for overall excellence and hard news, and we are proud to have been named the best overall news site in Hawaiʻi. The recent ratings show that the stations of HPR are the most listened to across the islands.
All of us at HPR are profoundly grateful to mark one year since the rescission in the strongest financial position in the history of the station. We mahalo every one of our supporters for enabling us to move forward as a 100% independent, free public service that spreads trust and truth, compelling stories, the power of music, and human connection.
As we mark this Rescissionversary with optimism, we are also clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. The landscape for news and media is incredibly tough right now, with agenda-driven ownership, declining revenue, and rapidly evolving technology that distracts, divides and provides information you aren’t sure if you can trust, and don’t know where it came from.
Your financial commitment as an HPR protector is truly making a difference for our community. But the fight is not yet over and there’s still work ahead. Help us achieve this work by donating now.
Here are five ways we are strengthening HPR, as we move forward, together:
- Independent journalism and storytelling are under duress in Hawai‘i and around the nation, as misinformation spreads and civic engagement slips. We are growing our local news coverage, focusing on journalism that helps, explains, and amplifies voices that may otherwise go unheard. Trusted, accurate news and information is essential to understanding the place we live in together, and for an engaged democracy here and everywhere.
- Music can transport us. At HPR, we believe in delighting listeners with expert hosts you know and trust across a range of genres and via the transcendent power of HPR-2, Hawaiʻi’s only classical music station. We will continue to champion great music from Hawaiʻi and around the world.
- We will fight polarization and isolation with connection, compassion, and respect for all of our audiences. Hawaiʻi Public Radio excels at this by being a trusted companion every day, and also with events like our Live from the Atherton series, and gatherings across the islands, such as our recent pau hana in Hilo.
- Serving the next generation of fans is critically important for HPR to endure for years to come. We will reach and grow new and young audiences by elevating their voices on-air and online, by expanding our digital portfolio and visual storytelling, and with new partnerships with organizations that serve Hawai‘i’s youth.
- HPR does not monetize audiences with paywalls, noisy ads, or algorithms that slurp up their valuable time with trivial drivel. We create, curate and distribute compelling programming made by humans, for humans. We will upgrade and modernize our technology and infrastructure in ethical and innovative ways.
The big question that Hawaiʻi Public Radio faces for the future: can we not just maintain, but grow these high levels of support? We want to look back years from now and see this moment not as a one-time spike, but the starting point for a strengthened service that will sustain an informed, inspired and connected Hawai‘i for decades.
With your continued support, we look forward to bringing you more of the voices, stories, music and deeper connection to this place we call home.
Mahalo for being with us in this first full year since the rescission, and as we move forward, 100% community supported and truly independent.
Meredith Artley
President & CEO
Hawai‘i Public Radio
