February 22, 2026

Last year, OPB experienced the elimination of federal funding, and you were there with us. Together, we showed that OPB is here to stay, and to thrive.

I’m so proud that OPB stands strong as an independent, nonprofit source for trusted news, information, and essential programs. We report the facts—powered by you and over 170,000 wonderful member households in Oregon, Washington, and beyond.

OPB was built for this moment. At a time when people seem further apart than ever, we’re driven by a mission to connect.

But how do we do pursue that mission effectively in this era, and in the future? I wanted to share more about the core pillars that guide our way.

Our first pillar: expand our journalism to better serve the people of this region.

For OPB, this means investing in critical areas such as investigative reporting and breaking news. It means lifting up a wider range of voices and places—with an eye toward solutions.

Knowing that the needs in our region are especially acute in rural areas, it means OPB is putting down roots in more communities, such as a changing Eastern Oregon and fast-growing Southwest Washington. It means building region-wide partnerships to connect more people with reporting that makes a difference. That includes public media organizations like Jefferson Public Radio and KLCC, and extends all the way to smaller community news outlets.

Expanding our reporting has real impact. For example, last year we published a series of articles in partnership with ProPublica that identified barriers in the federal and state bureaucracies that delayed improvements to electrical grids that would allow for more renewable power. Spurred by OPB’s reporting, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek issued executive orders to speed up renewable energy development to help Oregon meet surging energy demands and promote clean energy.

Our second pillar: strengthen our digital offerings so the stories and programs we create are available to audiences—wherever they are.

While there’s more information available to people than ever before, bedrock facts seem to be harder to find, and to agree on. Social media feeds are shaped by shadowy algorithms controlled by the rich and powerful.

With this in mind, we’re changing how we work to meet people on whatever device they choose, whenever they choose. Anchored by your strong support, we’ve added visual journalists to share timely video and photo-rich stories about the news of the day, deeply reported enterprise stories, coverage of science, creativity, and much more.

We’ve added more news alerts from our app. We’ve stepped up our facts-first presence on social media. Our daily First Look newsletter is growing (sign up now!).

Success also means making insightful, educational programs more accessible to more people. That includes so much: Oregon Field Guide, Oregon Experience, Think Out Loud®, The Evergreen, Oregon Art Beat, and OPB Politics Now, along with award-winning national programs like Nature and Finding Your Roots.

Our third pillar seeks to bring people together—in real life.

“Reaching people across our region is at the core of our public service mission. This work is all about building trust across communities and creating opportunities to listen deeply.” – Shayna Schlosberg, OPB’s Vice President, Community Connections

In this time of division, we believe getting together in person is more important than ever. For OPB, hearing first-hand from more people makes the stories we share stronger in every way. To do that, we’ve held community listening sessions in Newport, Vancouver, Ashland, La Grande, Enterprise, Joseph, Prineville, Hermiston, and Pendleton.

We’re creating more in-person events where people can take away insights from OPB programs, have great discussions, and build trust. Last year, we welcomed over 6,000 people to dozens of in-person experiences in communities like Vancouver, Bend, Baker City, Coos Bay, Hood River, Newport, along with many other communities.

We have tons of community events coming up in all sorts of places. Please take a look at our events page and join us soon!

Thank you for helping power the future of OPB, and helping enrich the lives of so many people across this great place we call home.

With gratitude,

— Rachel Smolkin, President and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting