American Public Media
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn American public radio producer and distributor best known for Marketplace and other nationally distributed journalism and cultural programs.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
American Public Media (APM) is an American public radio production and distribution organization headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It operates within the broader American Public Media Group, a nonprofit public-media organization whose holdings include Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio, and other radio and media activities. APM’s role is primarily national: it develops, owns, produces, distributes, and supports public-radio programs for stations and audiences across the United States. APM is particularly associated with Marketplace, the national financial and economic news program that became one of the most recognizable brands in American public radio. Its portfolio has also included food, culture, classical music, documentary, personal storytelling, and podcast programming. Examples include The Splendid Table, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, The Hilarious World of Depression, and investigative work produced through APM Reports. The organization has also distributed selected programming from outside producers, including the BBC World Service and BBC Proms broadcasts, although its operating model has generally emphasized content that it produces or owns itself. The organization emerged from a changing public-radio distribution landscape. Before APM was created, much of the programming associated with Minnesota Public Radio was distributed through Public Radio International, which had previously operated under the name American Public Radio. Public Radio International itself traced its formation to a partnership among Minnesota Public Radio, WGBH in Boston, WNYC in New York, and KUSC in Los Angeles to distribute A Prairie Home Companion. Over time, the relationship between Minnesota Public Radio and PRI became more competitive. The creation of APM in 2004 gave the Minnesota-based public-media group a more direct national distribution and production structure. APM’s journalism activities extend beyond regularly scheduled radio programs. APM Reports, established in 2015, is an investigative and documentary unit drawing on journalists associated with Minnesota Public Radio and the former American RadioWorks. Its work has included the In the Dark podcast and investigations into criminal justice, education, and other public-interest subjects. The second season of In the Dark examined the prosecution of Curtis Flowers and received major journalism recognition, including a Peabody Award and a George Polk Award; the Polk recognition was reported as the first for a podcast. APM Reports’ educational journalism has also included Sold a Story, a series examining approaches to teaching children to read. APM Research Lab, established in 2017, is the group’s research and data-journalism unit. It was created to strengthen the organization’s use of empirical reporting and public-interest analysis under the tagline “bringing facts into focus.” Its projects have included Color of Coronavirus, which tracked COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity across the United States. The project was widely cited by national news organizations and academic or public-health publications. APM has also operated and divested broadcast assets. Until 2015 it operated Classical South Florida, a station that was subsequently sold to the Educational Media Foundation and converted to a contemporary Christian music format. Overall, APM remains a major American public-radio content organization, combining program production, national distribution, investigative reporting, research, and partnerships with public-media stations.
History
American Public Media developed from the public-radio network associated with Minnesota Public Radio and its efforts to distribute programming nationally. Its institutional history is closely connected to Public Radio International, which was originally known as American Public Radio. American Public Radio was formed by Minnesota Public Radio, WGBH in Boston, WNYC in New York, and KUSC in Los Angeles to distribute A Prairie Home Companion. The organization later adopted the Public Radio International name, while continuing to distribute programs from multiple producers. The relationship between Minnesota Public Radio and PRI changed as both organizations expanded their national ambitions. A significant point of tension arose after Minnesota Public Radio lost a partnership opportunity involving The World to WGBH. MPR also acquired Marketplace, a program that had been distributed by PRI, and began using its own distribution channels. These developments contributed to a clearer separation between MPR’s content operations and PRI’s distribution role. American Public Media was founded in 2004 to provide a dedicated structure for producing and distributing programming, particularly content created or controlled by the Minnesota-based public-media group. APM became best known for Marketplace, a national financial and economic news program with a broad U.S. public-radio audience. Alongside Marketplace, its output has covered food, culture, classical music, personal experience, mental health, and documentary journalism. The organization has also distributed programs not wholly produced within its own group, including the BBC World Service and BBC Proms broadcasts from London’s Royal Albert Hall. The Story with Dick Gordon was another distributed program associated with APM, although its production ended in 2013. In 2015 APM created APM Reports as an investigative and documentary journalism unit. The unit drew journalists from Minnesota Public Radio and the former American RadioWorks. Its best-known project, In the Dark, used long-form reporting and podcast distribution to examine criminal justice cases. The second season investigated the prosecution of Curtis Flowers, a Mississippi man tried six times in connection with a 1996 quadruple murder. The reporting won a George Polk Award in 2019 and a Peabody Award in 2020; the Polk recognition was described as the first awarded to a podcast. APM Reports has also produced education reporting, including Sold a Story, which examined the methods and assumptions shaping reading instruction in the United States. APM’s research capacity expanded in 2017 with the creation of APM Research Lab. Developed under the leadership of American Public Media Group chief executive Jon McTaggart and executive vice president Dave Kansas, the Lab appointed Craig Helmstetter as its inaugural managing partner. It works with APM and external newsrooms on data-driven public-interest projects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its Color of Coronavirus project compiled and presented data on deaths by race and ethnicity in each state and across the country. The project became a widely cited reference in journalism, public policy, and health research. APM has also managed broadcast stations through its parent organization. One example was Classical South Florida, operated through WMLV-FM in the Miami area until its sale in July 2015 to Educational Media Foundation. The station subsequently adopted the K-Love brand and a contemporary Christian music format. Today, American Public Media remains a major U.S. public-radio producer and distributor. Its activities combine national program brands, podcast and documentary production, investigative journalism, data research, and support for the wider public-media ecosystem. It is distinct from NPR and Public Radio International, although all three organizations have participated in the broader U.S. public-radio distribution system and have had historical relationships with one another.
- 2023
Sold a Story receives an Edward R. Murrow Award
[1]APM Reports’ educational team is recognized for its investigation into reading instruction.
- 2020
Color of Coronavirus begins publication
[1]APM Research Lab begins publishing its race- and ethnicity-specific COVID-19 mortality project.
- 2019
In the Dark wins a George Polk Award
[1]The second season’s Curtis Flowers investigation receives a Polk Award.
- 2017
APM Research Lab is established
[1]The organization creates a research and data-journalism division.
- 2015
APM Reports is established
[1]APM launches its investigative and documentary reporting unit.
- 2015
Classical South Florida is divested
[1]APM sells WMLV-FM, formerly branded Classical South Florida, to Educational Media Foundation.
- 2013
The Story with Dick Gordon ends production
[1]APM’s distribution portfolio loses The Story with Dick Gordon after the program ends production in October.
- 2004
American Public Media is founded
[1]APM is formed to produce and distribute programming associated primarily with its Minnesota-based public-media parent.
- 1994
American Public Radio becomes Public Radio International
[1]The distribution organization historically connected to Minnesota Public Radio changes its name from American Public Radio to Public Radio International.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit-affiliated public-media producer, distributor, investigative newsroom, and research organization serving U.S. public-radio audiences.
Business and financial radio
Marketplace
Marketplace is APM’s best-known national program and focuses on business, economics, markets, and the effects of economic policy on everyday life. It helped establish APM as a major national public-radio producer and is hosted by Kai Ryssdal according to the reference material. The program is distributed through U.S. public-radio stations and related digital channels.
Food and culture radio
The Splendid Table
The Splendid Table is a food-focused public-radio program associated with APM. Its subject matter combines cooking, food culture, culinary reporting, and conversations with chefs and writers. The reference material identifies Lynne Rossetto Kasper as a former host and Francis Lam as a host, reflecting the program’s continuity across different presenters.
Investigative podcast and documentary
In the Dark
In the Dark is an investigative journalism project produced through APM Reports. Its second season examined the Curtis Flowers case, in which Flowers was tried six times in connection with a 1996 quadruple murder in Mississippi. The reporting received a George Polk Award and a Peabody Award, helping demonstrate the capacity of podcasting to support detailed, serialized investigative work.
Personal storytelling podcast
Terrible, Thanks for Asking
Terrible, Thanks for Asking is a personal-storytelling program hosted by Nora McInerny. It focuses on grief, hardship, emotional vulnerability, and experiences that are often simplified by conventional social conversation. The program represents APM’s expansion beyond traditional news and cultural radio into intimate, podcast-oriented storytelling.
Mental-health podcast
The Hilarious World of Depression
The Hilarious World of Depression was a mental-health program hosted by John Moe. It used humor and personal interviews to discuss depression and related experiences, making mental-health storytelling a visible part of APM’s podcast and public-radio portfolio. John Moe is identified in the reference material as a former host.
Investigative journalism unit · 2015
APM Reports
APM Reports is APM’s investigative and documentary journalism unit. Established in 2015, it combines radio, podcast, documentary, and digital reporting. Its work has covered criminal justice, education, and other public-interest subjects, including In the Dark and Sold a Story. The unit has received major journalism honors, including Peabody, Polk, and Edward R. Murrow recognition.
Research and data journalism · 2017
APM Research Lab
APM Research Lab is the organization’s research and data-journalism division. Founded in 2017, it collaborates with APM newsrooms and external partners to produce evidence-based reporting. Its Color of Coronavirus project tracked COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity and became a frequently cited source for coverage and analysis of racial disparities during the pandemic.
Brand decisions
2017
Establish APM Research LabStrategyBackground
APM aimed to expand its use of data, research, and factual analysis in public-interest journalism.
Action taken
APM created a research and data-journalism unit under the leadership of American Public Media Group executives and appointed Craig Helmstetter as its inaugural managing partner.
Aftermath
The Lab produced projects such as Color of Coronavirus and collaborated with APM, PBS, Frontline, and other newsrooms.
2015
Sell Classical South FloridaM&ABackground
APM operated Classical South Florida through WMLV-FM in Florida before divesting the station.
Action taken
APM sold the station to Educational Media Foundation in July 2015.
Aftermath
The station later adopted the K-Love brand and a contemporary Christian music format.
2015
Establish APM ReportsStrategyBackground
APM sought to strengthen its capacity for investigative and documentary journalism beyond its regularly scheduled programs.
Action taken
The organization created APM Reports, bringing together journalists from Minnesota Public Radio and the former American RadioWorks.
Aftermath
The unit produced award-winning projects including In the Dark and Sold a Story.
2004
Create a dedicated APM production and distribution structureStrategyBackground
Minnesota Public Radio and Public Radio International increasingly operated as competitors, particularly after disputes involving program partnerships and the distribution of Marketplace.
Action taken
American Public Media was established to emphasize programming produced or owned by the Minnesota-based public-media group while maintaining selected external distribution relationships.
Aftermath
APM became a major national public-radio producer and distributor, with Marketplace as its leading program brand.
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