I look forward to another important year of growth in service to this remarkable community.
Each week, over 18,000 radio listeners tune in to Aspen Public Radio for the news of the day, and to be informed, nourished, inspired, and entertained. Our public media service is free and available to all, serving an audience which is working to live the “Aspen Idea” —moving through life with a discerning mind, an open heart, and a seeking spirit.
I am so grateful to everyone who has contributed to create what you hear on Aspen Public Radio, explored on our website, and experienced with us in person:
- 1,093 members made a financial contribution
- 113 businesses supported the station as underwriters
- 18,600 monthly users visited the website
- and hundreds and hundreds of attendees came to our public events.
We had the opportunity to record 41 events in 2022 by amazing community partners and archive them on our website as “Ideas, Speakers & Lectures” for you to explore… and then more than doubled that number, recording nearly 100 of these community events in 2023.
We increased the number of live radio broadcasts from events heard on Aspen Public Radio from 11 in 2022, to over 30 in 2023 –including the World Cup Men’s Downhill, Aspen Ideas Festival, AMFS Sunday afternoon concerts, and Raizado 2023, just to name a few.
We produced 4 amazing events in 2022, and 6 in 2023 –including the Aspen Psychedelic Symposium and a remarkable nonprofit volunteer fair during our annual Lawn Bash, both collaborative events we’re going to repeat in 2024.
We asked listeners to tell us how we can best serve their news and information needs and grow Aspen Public Radio as a leading public broadcast journalism service on Colorado’s western slope. In 2022, we heard from 263 of you… and in 2023, we received 353 survey responses to our Fall Listener Survey, publishing highlights from what we’ve learned as part of this report.
To top it all off, Aspen Public Radio won the biggest award in public radio, receiving a National Edward R. Murrow award for a story of narrowly escaped tragedy at the Independence Pass Cascades, in addition to receiving a total of 8 regional awards from the Colorado Broadcasters Association and Society for Professional Journalists.
We’ve also grown critical support for the station, increasing National Council membership –donors who have pledged to advance Aspen Public Radio's commitment to provide high-quality journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond by supporting the station with a major gift. And we’ve said THANK YOU to each one of our members underscoring the impact they’ve made in support of our mission.
Read all about it alongside all our successes of 2022, highlights from 2023, and commitments for the year ahead.
Click here to review the Aspen Public Radio 2023 Impact Report
Thank you for supporting your source of quality, independent news here in the valley.
Breeze Richardson
Executive Director, Aspen Public Radio