Utah Public Radio Honored as Legacy Nonprofit of the Year

LOGAN — In honor of its over 70 years of service, the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce named Utah Public Radio Legacy Nonprofit of the Year at its Annual Awards Gala.

Each year the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce honors entities and individuals who drive business growth and make significant contributions to what makes Cache Valley such a great place to work and live.

Utah State University established UPR, the state’s first public radio station, in 1953 to serve as a resource for information and news in Cache Valley and throughout Utah. Since then, UPR has worked with other nonprofit and community organizations to further its mission of sharing information and encouraging lifelong learning via a free broadcast and streaming platform and through program partnerships.

Popular partnerships with UPR include “Wild About Utah” with the Bridgerland Audubon Society, “Undisciplined Science Conversations” with Square One Printing, The Salt Lake Tribune’s “Behind the Headlines,” and Spanish-language programming on UPRTres in partnership with Caffe Ibis.

UPR Station Co-Manager Kerry Bringhurst spoke at the gala on March 8 and highlighted one of UPR’s partnerships from last year.

“UPR is pleased to be part of USU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which promotes the importance of human interaction for greater understanding and learning,” Bringhurst said. “In May of last year, Cache County and USU Credit Union/Goldenwest Insurance made it possible for UPR to help connect this community by gathering stories and giving voice to 150 of our Cache Valley friends, neighbors, business owners and influencers through the National ‘StoryCorps’ recording booth.”

She says UPR looks forward to another 71 years of connecting communities.

In addition to serving the community, UPR also partners with Utah State University. While working with USU’s Institute for Land, Water and Air and the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, UPR was awarded the Local That Works reporting award for their “Lake Effect” series.

Much of its local news coverage comes from USU student reporters through a paid internship program. Anna Johnson, a general news reporter for UPR, says her internship has helped build a strong foundation for her career.

“Over the last two years at UPR, I’ve covered everything from concerts to the Utah Legislature,” Johnson said. “By getting hands-on experience reporting on the Cache Valley community with the support of UPR, I feel ready to jump into my first job post-graduation.”

Other winners of the 2024 Chamber of Commerce’s Awards include:

• E. Needham Jewelers as Legacy Business of the Year (retail).
• Central Milling as Legacy Business of the Year (agriculture, manufacturing).
• The Giant Pumpkin Festival as New Event of the Year.
• Richmond Black & White Days as Community Legacy Event of the Year.
• Carol and Jim Laub Plaza as New Project of the Year.
• Marsha Campbell as Woman of the Year.
• Ross and Kaye Peterson as Citizen of the Year.

Looking forward, Utah Public Radio plans to build on its 70-year legacy as a valuable community partner by producing more bilingual content including a series of information programs about mental health wellness in both English and Spanish, building scholarship funds to support student interns, researching ideas for funding and creating a southern Utah reporter partnership with Utah Tech University, and connecting with Cache Valley businesses to promote events and happenings in the community.