Vermont Public

What Vermont Public does

Vermont Public is an independent, community-supported nonprofit public media organization founded in 1977 and headquartered at 365 Troy Avenue in Colchester, Vermont. Operating as a joint licensee for both public radio and public television, the organization follows the ethics guidance of both NPR and PBS and operates a network of more than 15 FM radio stations (including WVPS, WVPR, WRVT) and three television stations (WETK, WVTB, WVER) across Vermont, supplemented by live digital streaming via StreamGuys, video streaming at video.vermontpublic.org, and podcast distribution across Apple, Spotify, and Google platforms. As of May 2024, the organization employed 114 staff (104 full-time, 10 part-time), with a Board of Directors of which 25% identify as BIPOC.

The product portfolio is multi-platform and includes Vermont Public Radio (news, classical music, BBC World Service, Friday Night Jazz), Vermont Public Television (live TV, VOD, PBS KIDS), and a substantial original podcast network spanning The Frequency (daily news), Vermont Edition, Brave Little State (listener-driven journalism), But Why (children), Homegoings (race and culture), Rumble Strip, and All Things Gardening. Underlying technology is built on Amazon Web Services for web applications, NPR's shared content management system for the public-facing site, StreamGuys for live audio streaming, Engaging Networks for membership and email, and Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics for site optimization. The organization also distributes educational resources through PBS Learning Media and offers Vermont Public Passport, a PBS-Passport-style membership benefit.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit model: individual member donations and monthly recurring gifts, philanthropy including legacy giving, corporate underwriting and the premium Corporate Circle partnership tier, vehicle donations through Good News Garage, and likely Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants. The go-to-market motion is community-led, anchored by annual fundraising campaigns including the 11th annual Giving Tuesday partnership with Vermont Foodbank and Vermont Community Foundation. Leadership comprises Scott Finn (President and CEO), Brendan Kinney (COO), Brendan Leonard (CFO), and Lesli Hill Blount (Director of Business Sponsorships).

Name

Vermont Public

Legal name

Vermont Public

Website

https://vermontpublic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Vermont Public is an independent, community-supported nonprofit public media organization operating as a joint NPR/PBS licensee serving Vermont through broadcast radio, television, digital streaming, podcasts, and educational programming, funded by member donations, corporate underwriting, and philanthropy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Broadcasting and Media

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Public Television Networks & Member Stations (PBS-style) (MPABADAA), Public Media Digital Platforms & Streaming (Apps, On-demand, Podcasts) (MPABADAG), Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB)

Keywords

• Public radio broadcasting
• Public television
• Community-supported media
• News podcasts
• Local journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Colchester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: Community-supported through member donations, monthly gifts, and annual contributions
2. Business Sponsorship: Corporate underwriting and business sponsorship of programming
3. Philanthropy: Major gifts and philanthropy programs including legacy giving
4. Vehicle Donation Program: Vehicle donations through Good News Garage partnership
5. Corporate Circle: Premium corporate partnership tier with enhanced benefits

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vermont Public is a community-supported nonprofit public media organization operating as a joint licensee for public radio and public television. It produces and distributes local news, classical music, jazz, children's programming, and original podcasts across multiple FM radio stations, TV channels, digital streaming platforms, and podcast networks serving Vermont and broader audiences.

Product overview

Vermont Public is an independent, community-supported media organization operating as a joint licensee with both public radio and public television services under NPR and PBS ethics guidelines. The organization offers a multi-platform content portfolio including: Vermont Public Radio (broadcast radio with news, classical music, and BBC World Service); Vermont Public Television (live TV streaming and video on demand with PBS KIDS); and an extensive podcast network featuring shows such as The Frequency (daily Vermont news), Vermont Edition (conversational news show), Brave Little State (listener-driven journalism), Vermont This Week (political coverage), The Sports Rapport, Rumble Strip, All Things Gardening, Homegoings (race and culture conversations), and But Why (kids content). Additional offerings include Classical programming with Friday Night Jazz, the Made Here local film showcase, and membership benefits through Vermont Public Passport. The organization also provides educational resources via PBS Learning Media and operates a network of FM and TV broadcast stations across Vermont.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Homegoings: A seasonal podcast featuring fearless conversations about race and storytelling with soul.
• Brave Little State
• Vermont Public Classical
• Vermont Edition
• The Frequency

Products and services

• Vermont Public Radio Flagship radio broadcasting news, classical music, and BBC World Service to Vermont listeners across multiple FM stations.
• Vermont Public Television (Video Streaming)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 140,000 meals if 2,000 gifts received in Giving Tuesday campaign

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vermont FoodbankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 202511th annual Giving Tuesday partnership to mobilize funds supporting Vermonters facing food insecurity
• Vermont Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025Giving Tuesday partnership with matching funds to support food insecurity initiatives
• NPRcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContent partnership for national and world news; Vermont Public website uses shared content management system from National Public Radio
• PBScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic television content partnership including PBS KIDS programming
• StreamGuyscoreTechnology or IntegrationLive streaming services for Vermont Public News, Classical, BBC and Replay stations
• Engaging NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail and membership web experiences powered by Engaging Networks
• Amazon Web ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb applications served using Amazon Web Services infrastructure
• Good News GarageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVehicle donation program partner converting donated vehicles into support for public media

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maine Public: Maine Public is a joint public radio and television licensee serving a neighboring small rural New England state. Its dual-licensee structure and statewide broadcast footprint make it one of the closest operational analogues to Vermont Public.
• Connecticut Public Broadcasting: Connecticut Public operates a similar joint NPR/PBS licensee model serving a small New England state with broadcast radio, TV, and digital content. Comparable community-supported nonprofit structure and statewide mission make it a direct peer.
• New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR): New Hampshire Public Radio is a similarly-sized regional public radio licensee serving a small New England state with comparable news, music, and podcast programming. NHPR is the most direct regional comparable for Vermont Public's radio operations and member-supported nonprofit model.

Broad incumbents

• KQED (San Francisco): KQED is the largest NPR/PBS member station in the Bay Area, offering news, classical, and television programming plus podcasts. As a major-market joint licensee, it is a benchmark for Vermont Public's community-supported public media model at scale.
• WNYC (New York Public Radio): WNYC is the flagship New York public radio station and one of the largest U.S. public radio operators. It shares the NPR member-supported model and podcast distribution strategy but operates at much larger scale and in a major metro market.
• WGBH (Boston): WGBH is a large, established Boston-based public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content nationally. As a much larger New England public media incumbent, it overlaps with Vermont Public's public broadcasting mission while operating at significantly greater scale.
• Minnesota Public Radio / American Public Media: Minnesota Public Radio is a large multi-station public radio network with national content distribution via American Public Media. Comparable in operating multi-format classical/news programming and producing nationally distributed podcasts like Marketplace.

Others

• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service): PBS is the national television network supplying content including PBS KIDS programming carried by Vermont Public. As the parent content network for Vermont Public's television operations, PBS is a key enabling ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
• NPR (National Public Radio): NPR is the national network that supplies Vermont Public with national and world news content and shares its content management system. As a content distributor and partner rather than a local competitor, NPR is an ecosystem participant central to Vermont Public's operations.
• Vermont Community Foundation: The Vermont Community Foundation is a recurring strategic partner in Vermont Public's Giving Tuesday campaigns for food insecurity. As a regional philanthropic institution, it is an adjacent ecosystem enabler rather than a peer broadcaster.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vermontpublic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/vermontpublic
• Facebookfacebook.com/vermontpublic
• Instagraminstagram.com/vermontpublic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vermont Public