NEPR New England Public Media

New England Public Media is a non-profit public broadcasting organization serving western Massachusetts, formed through the merger of two longstanding regional public media institutions. The organization was established following an announcement on April 11, 2019, by the leadership of WFCR and WGBY-TV, who had been exploring collaborative arrangements since 2017. WFCR, the region's NPR member station licensed in Amherst and owned by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and WGBY, the region's PBS member television station licensed in Springfield and owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation, formally merged operations in the summer of 2019. The merged organization retains the broadcast licenses of both predecessor institutions under program service operating agreements with UMass Amherst and the WGBH Foundation respectively. Governance is led by a board comprising members drawn from the former WFCR fundraising body, the New England Public Radio Foundation, and WGBY's board of tribunes. Martin Miller serves as president and chief executive officer, while Anthony Hayes serves as chief operating officer and general manager. At the time of formation, the organization employed 78 staff members, including a 21-person newsroom, with plans to expand the journalism team to 30 reporters by 2022. The NEPR Foundation continues to operate the NEPR News Network, which broadcasts an expanded schedule of NPR news programming across the region.