Our Story

 

Originally called Public Radio Capital (PRC), we were created as a national nonprofit in 2001 by Station Resource Group, an association of public radio station leaders. Two industry leaders, Susan Harmon and Marc Hand, were asked to oversee our mission to strengthen and expand public radio services in communities nationwide.

At the time, our charge was to address two challenges in the media industry: the concentration of commercial radio channels in the hands of dramatically fewer corporate owners, and the unchallenged capacity of large, well-funded religious broadcasters to dominate the marketplace for noncommercial spectrum.

The idea was highly entrepreneurial. We would provide strategic business consulting and financial services directly to public radio stations, with the goal of strengthening their network around the country.

In 2014, PRC rebranded as Public Media Company (PMC) to reflect a broader scope and ambition beyond radio broadcasting. Since our founding, we have partnered with nearly 400 nonprofit and noncommercial media organizations in all 50 U.S. states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, helping them amplify their service and impact, deepen community connections, and secure long-term business sustainability.

Today, we think of ourselves as an essential partner to both public and independent media organizations around the country. We are a mission-driven nonprofit, just like our clients, and our team is comprised of people with deep media experience and business acumen, expertise that is valuable in an era of dynamic change across the media landscape. Public Media Company is taking a leading role in embracing the needs of today while helping our partners to navigate toward a brighter tomorrow.

In many ways our mission - to cultivate vibrant local media that informs, connects, and inspires communities - is more essential than ever.

Appearing in the above photo montage of Public Media Company history
Top row—Left to Right:  Peter Buffett, PMC Founder and CEO Marc Hand, Mike Henry and Mikel Ellcessor;  John E. Dee,  KUTX; PMC Board Member Carolyn Grinstein; Radio Bilingüe Focus Group Meeting (2002)
Second row—Left to Right: PMC Founder and Board Member Susan Harmon, Orlando Bagwell, Ford Foundation; PMC Board Member Jan Nicholson, Loris Taylor, Native Public Media
Third row: A board meeting of the Public Radio Fund Advisory Council in 2008
Bottom row—Left to Right:  Non-commercial filing window meeting in Puerto Rico (2007); PMC Staff meeting (2006): Roger LaMay, WXPN

Learn More

To learn more about the ways we're helping strengthen local media, visit our services page or contact us today.